Convalescence
by Eadon
Summary: What some may see as weakness others see great strength. Sometimes, solitary suffering can cause more damage. Every person has their breaking point.
1. Rescue

Convalescence

By Eadon

Disclaimer: League characters and its world belong to Riot.

* * *

There was something different about this operation.

For one, Jayce was never asked to accompany Caitlyn on any of her police missions. Sure, there were times when she asked for his assistance in some investigations. But for those times all he did was analyze hextech.

Second, Jayce and Caitlyn were the only humans present. The rest of her "officers" were the Piltover Police Bots. Not that Jayce felt uncomfortable invading a massive, abandoned building that was half crumbled with just the Sheriff, himself, and a small detachment of bots. He just felt out of place. Where was Caitlyn's brute of a partner, Vi? She was always with Caitlyn for these types of missions.

There was also the fact that every time he asked why he was needed Caitlyn always brushed off his inquiries.

"Listen, Jayce, I just need you to trust me and back me up." Her eyes were hard. "Can you do that for me?"

Caught off guard, Jayce lifted both his hands to his chest level to symbolize he meant no harm. "Sure, Cait. But I'll hold you later to explain all of this."

Caitlyn's expression didn't change, but her shoulders lost a bit of their stiffness. She nodded to him once before returning her attention to one of the bots. She gave it instructions for itself and the other units to surround the building, but out of sight.

The bots wouldn't have difficulty hiding, Jayce thought. This night was especially dark, the natural moonlight was blocked from most of the high buildings, and most of the Star Rods in the area were long since destroyed and salvaged, which left them with very little light.

To see a small part of Piltover in ruins was foreign to Jayce. He lived in the center part of the city, the one place that the criminal Jinx hadn't touched. Not that the entire outer part of the city was in ruins, there were plenty of other sections of the city that were unscathed.

Anger flared into the famed Hero of Tomorrow. He vowed he would protect Piltover and its citizens. Now he understood why the statesmen were pushing him and the other hextech inventors so hard.

Caitlyn approached him, jarring the inventor from his thoughts. "I need you to stay in the front; I'll watch you from the back."

Jayce nodded. His face illuminated from the light of his weapon, the Mercury Hammer, activating to life. Caitlyn turned on a small flashlight that was clipped onto the front of her uniform.

As instructed, he led Caitlyn to the building. He wasn't told this would be a stealth operation, so he took the initiative to smash through the door with his weapon.

He anticipated an attack, but the entrance was void of any inhabitants. They pushed further into the building. It was a warehouse, but most of the large rooms were filled with debris. The rest of the building was the same as the entrance, empty.

Confused, Jayce turned to Caitlyn. She pinched the bridge of her nose and let out a silent curse.

For as long as Jayce knew Caitlyn, he's rarely ever seen her display any negative emotions. Sure there were times when he's seen her get upset, especially during the time they dated, but he's never heard her curse. But, considering the stress she's endured since Jinx's destruction, he was sympathetic to her picking up Vi's foul mouth.

"What's going on, Cait?" Jayce asked. He would power down his hammer, but he couldn't fight the nagging feeling there was something they missed. And he didn't want to be caught off guard without his weapon activated. Not that he really _needed_ the hammer to be powered on, but depending on the situation he may need to change his weapon to its secondary form, the Mercury Cannon.

"I _know_ she's here." Caitlyn muttered to herself. She turned her back to Jayce and retraced their steps.

Eyebrows furrowed, Jayce chased after the sheriff. "Who's she?"

The shorter brunette ignored him. She checked every room and hallway; her mind was solely focused on whatever it was she was searching for.

Jayce started when Caitlyn suddenly cried, "found it!"

"What is it?" Jayce glanced at what Caitlyn was looking at. He saw nothing but debris. Wait, no. It was easy to miss due to the crumbled concrete that decorated the floor. There were a set of stairs leading beneath them.

Jayce gently moved Caitlyn aside and descended the stairs first. The moment he reached the bottom a sudden gunshot erupted from his left.

The inventor was caught off guard and the bullet should have killed him, if it was aimed correctly. Thankfully, luck was on Jayce's side and the bullet went far right of his head. Before he had the chance to switch to his Mercury Cannon, another gunshot rang from behind him and his attacker fell.

Jayce didn't need to glance to Caitlyn; he knew the second gunshot was from her rifle. He carefully stepped closer to the still attacker. A small, bleeding circle sat in the middle of the man's forehead.

Perfect headshot, Jayce thought.

"Great shot." He grinned.

Caitlyn, however, displayed intense anger and cursed aloud. "Damnit! I didn't want to kill him."

Jayce lifted a thick eyebrow at her. Being left in the dark was starting to give him a headache.

Caitlyn sighed heavily and searched the dead man's pockets. "If we found anyone, I needed them alive. But instincts…"

"You saved my life though, so uh thanks for that."

The sheriff nodded as she continued to search. When she found nothing, she stood and cursed again. "If there were any others here, they would've come running the moment they heard the gunfire."

Jayce looked around. The basement looked like a makeshift mess hall. There were tables and chairs strewn about, and he could make out a kitchen further along the back. "What the hell is going on, Cait?"

She opened her mouth to explain, but they both froze when they heard something from the back, towards the kitchen. Jayce wasn't sure, but it almost sounded like it was a cough.

Caitlyn shot towards the noise faster than Jayce could lift his hammer.

"Cait, wait!" A bad feeling was beginning to settle into his gut, and he was afraid Caitlyn was going to charge right into a trap.

There was a closed door in the far corner of the kitchen, but it was locked. Caitlyn looked ready to kick it down, but Jayce offered his hammer again.

Once the door was smashed open, Jayce was ready this time. He had his cannon activated as he entered the room and checked his sides; he wasn't willing to risk his luck of getting shot again.

The room churned Jayce's stomach and sent chills down his back. The walls were brown and rusted, the floor tainted with dirt and what looked to be blood. Small tables littered the room; each one carried bloody sharp instruments from hooks to scalpels. One table even had a bloodied whip.

Then he saw her. Or rather, he saw her pink hair. It was the only thing in the room that wasn't brown or red.

A flash of blue passed before Jayce, it was Caitlyn rushing to her partner's side.

"Vi," Caitlyn exclaimed.

Her pink haired partner was tied to a chair, her head bowed down. It worried Jayce that she wasn't moving despite Caitlyn shaking her shoulder. It almost looked like she wasn't breathing. He almost wanted to look away when he noticed most of her clothing was tattered to the point that left her indecent.

He watched helplessly as Caitlyn pressed two fingers against her neck.

"She's alive." Caitlyn whispered, though more to herself.

Jayce realized he had been holding his breath. He let out a long exhale in relief before he busied himself with another search around the room while Caitlyn went to untying Vi. He didn't know what was going on, and frankly he was confused why he and Caitlyn did this rescue mission alone. Rescue missions of missing people were the jurisdiction of the Piltover Patrol.

He and Caitlyn were going to have a long talk once they got out of here and got Vi to a hospital. Judging by all the bloody instruments in the room, he shivered just thinking about what was done to the brash woman.

Vi's massive hextech gauntlets laid in the far corner, both were heavily damaged. He was about to pick them up when he heard Caitlyn call for him.

"I need your help."

The inventor frowned, but inspected the back of the chair that Vi was tied to. He winced when he saw that her hands were tied together with a wire. They most likely were used to deter her from struggling against the binds. But knowing Vi's stubbornness, the wire was cut deep into her flesh.

The wire was too strong and sharp. There was no sign of the ends to them either.

"I need something to cut the wire. Watch over the door in case that man had any friends."

It didn't take Jayce long to find wire cutters. He felt slightly better when he noticed they weren't stained with blood.

Slightly.

It worried him further that he still received no response from Vi as he unwrapped the wire from her wrists. That was until he had to give the wire a slight tug to pull it out of her flesh that Vi groaned which then escalated to a dry, painful sounding cough.

Lookout forgotten, Caitlyn was instantly at Vi's side. It hurt Jayce to see her looking so worried.

"I'll be on point, you carry her," Caitlyn said.

He nodded and gestured to her damaged gauntlets in the corner. It'd be difficult for Caitlyn to carry them and use her rifle. Still, she managed to carry them while Jayce carefully lifted Vi onto his back.

Vi was a lot lighter than he expected, but he wasn't complaining. It was that much easier for him to carry his hammer as well.

It would be incredibly cliché if a group of men awaited them at the top of the stairs, Jayce thought, but thankfully that never happened. The building was still empty as they quickly left it.

In the safety of the outdoors, Caitlyn called in for the police bots to return to their patrol routs.

That would be another of the many questions Jayce had in store for the sheriff, but for now he focused on getting her partner to their vehicle. Once he laid Vi in the back, he quickly draped his coat over her to give her some decency.

It was difficult to see what her injuries were due to the darkness, but what he did see flared anger within him. He and the pink haired enforcer weren't on the best of terms, quite the opposite actually, but not even she deserved this kind of treatment.

Caitlyn took over the driver seat so Jayce wasted no more time in getting in the adjacent seat to her. He thought about asking what the Void was going on, but something told him his questions could wait. One glance at the sheriff's face brought a shiver down his back; he could _feel_ the rage radiating from her.

"Where are we going," Jayce asked once he noticed they weren't heading to the nearest hospital. He expected her to ignore his question again, like she had all night, but she surprised him with an answer.

"Your place," she answered.

"What?!"

Caitlyn was rendered speechless again when another cough erupted from Vi. Her thin eyebrows furrowed and she accelerated the vehicle even faster.

It was official, Jayce decided then it was best to just ask questions later.

Once they arrived at his house, Jayce told Caitlyn to ring his doorbell while he grabbed Vi. His personal bot would let them in.

Due to the functioning Star Rods nearby, and the light from his house, Jayce noticed the blood stains on the seats after he lifted Vi. It unnerved him further when he felt the warm wetness from her back.

"Greetings, sheriff, what could I—"

Jayce looked up and caught Caitlyn hacking his personal bot.

"Cait, what in the Void are you doing to my bot?!"

"Questions later! Get Vi in here!"

The inventor growled under his breath, but obeyed. He took Vi to the nearest bedroom and was immediately pushed aside by his bot and then given a long list of supplies; towels, bandages, water, etc.

Confused by his bot's sudden medical know-how, Jayce just kept his mouth shut and fetched the supplies. Upon return to the room, his bot wasted no time in treating Vi's wounds.

He expected Caitlyn to help or watch, maybe even leave all together. Instead, she gestured for him to follow her out of the room and shut the door behind her.

"I guess now is the time to finally give you some answers," she sighed as she leaned against the door.

Jayce crossed his arms. "Yes, it would be great to know why we rescued your partner instead of the Piltover Patrol, why we bring Vi to my home instead of the hospital, and why you hacked my bot."

The anger that had pent up within the Hero of Tomorrow quickly evaporated when he saw how exhausted and terrified Caitlyn looked. His hard features softened and he softly tugged the woman to his kitchen for a warm drink.

He knew she was an avid tea drinker, but all he had was coffee. After a quick glance at the clock, he didn't think she'd mind said beverage.

While he prepared their drinks Caitlyn excused herself to his bathroom. It wasn't until she had returned and sported the warm mug in her hands before she finally spoke. Jayce pretended not to notice how red and puffy her eyes had become when she returned.

"Where do I begin?"

Jayce took a sip before answering; his mind was so overwhelmed with so many questions he didn't know what to ask first.

"Why did you ask for _my_ help? Why not order the Patrol to search and rescue Vi?"

Caitlyn nodded, took a sip to wet her throat, and began. "I had no proof that Vi was missing. If she isn't reported missing, the Patrol can't look for her."

"How could you have no proof she was missing? If she doesn't report to work and doesn't answer your calls, that's grounds for missing, isn't it?"

Caitlyn winced. "I fired Vi before she went missing."

"_You_ fired Vi?" Jayce nearly spat his drink.

Caitlyn glared at him for a moment. "It was an order from the statesmen."

Jayce whistled. "Did she destroy one of their homes or something?"

"Worse," Caitlyn paused to take another sip. "A statesman was injured. His home was broken into and being robbed. Vi showed up and a scuffle ensued. Needless to say, Vi caused more damage to the house than the criminal, and the statesman was injured."

She sighed, placed her mug down and rubbed her eyes. "That was the final straw. Considering all the damage Jinx has caused, the statesmen felt having a police officer that caused just as much damage as a criminal wasn't worth the trouble anymore. So I had a choice, I could either be demoted and Vi would be arrested for her past crimes, or I could fire her and I could keep my position."

"So her missing wasn't seen as suspicious, just a woman that avoided any communication after losing her job."

Caitlyn nodded. "Exactly."

Jayce refilled both their mugs. "How did you know she was kidnapped?"

"Part of our deal was that I not only had to fire Vi, but I also had to apprehend her gauntlets."

"I can't imagine she was too happy about that. She didn't punch you for taking them?"

Caitlyn glared at him again. "She gave them up without a struggle, thankfully. But a few days later I noticed they were missing from our evidence storage."

This story just keeps getting better and better, Jayce thought.

"It bothered me that her gauntlets were taken from under my nose. I knew it wasn't Vi, there would be no way for her to sneak in and get them without detection."

"You suspect someone in your force?"

Caitlyn nodded. "It was then that I tried contacting her, to no avail. When I went to her apartment there were no signs of a struggle. There was nothing that hinted she was kidnapped."

"So how did you manage to find out where she was?"

"I called in a favor with Heimerdinger. He wasn't able to do anything about the Patrol, regulations are regulations. But he was able to sneak in Vi's description with the Patrol Rescue Bot."

"And it found a positive match on her?"

The woman nodded while she sipped from her mug. "I still don't know which one of my own officers is behind this. When the Patrol Bot found her, I didn't want to risk her being moved before my rescue. And it could have complicated things if this person knew to avoid the Patrol Bot."

"So you called me."

"Yes."

"Okay, so then why in the Void did you bring her to my home? She'd be in better hands at the hospital."

She bit her lower lip. "I honestly wasn't expecting Vi to be…in this condition. At most I assumed she'd be roughed up, nothing a medical bot couldn't fix."

"Still, why not take her to the hospital?"

Caitlyn rubbed her eyes again. "I'd rather she stay with someone I trust. At a hospital…there are too many things that can happen without anyone noticing anything."

Jayce frowned. "I understand you don't trust leaving an officer to guard her room, but you could still assign a bot to guard her."

The sheriff shook her head. "Vi's kidnapper is an officer. He or she can easily approach Vi's room without the bot being suspicious of anything. I won't risk that."

"Speaking of bots, how were you able to hack mine?"

"Like I said, I wasn't expecting her to be hurt too bad. And I don't know anyone with medical training that I trust to look after her if she was injured. So Heimerdinger gave me a medical upgrade for any bot when we discussed my plan.

"Do you have any suspects yet?"

Caitlyn shook her head again. "All of my officers have clean records and come from good backgrounds."

"Do you think one of them was just bribed for Vi's gauntlets?"

"That's a possibility. I was hoping I'd find out more when we rescued Vi. That man I killed didn't look familiar."

Despite working on his third cup of coffee, exhaustion hit Jayce now that his confusion settled.

"I would have explained everything to you beforehand, but I was worried if I took too much time then I'd be too late." Caitlyn fought the wetness that formed in the corners of her eyes. "I still don't know if I _am_ too late."

Jayce placed a hand on her shoulder. He was relieved she didn't immediately brush his hand off, nor did she stiffen at his touch.

"She's tough, she'll be fine."

"I don't even understand why they'd torture her."

"Do you think Jinx is behind this," Jayce asked.

The sheriff shook her head. "Jinx relishes in chaos and destruction. Everything is just a game to her. She enjoys taunting us in the fact that we can't catch her. She wouldn't kidnap and torture Vi. It's someone else."

"And they might be one of your own officers," sighed Jayce.

Caitlyn stood abruptly; she too looked ready to pass out from exhaustion.

"You can stay here for the night; I have plenty of spare bedrooms." He expected Caitlyn to decline, but she surprised him again when she nodded.

Before they both retired, Jayce stepped out to fetch his and Caitlyn's weapons from her vehicle. He took another look at the backseat and shuddered when he saw the blood stains. He thought about cleaning them, they'd be really difficult to clean out the longer they stayed. But both physical and mental exhaustion convinced him to forego the thought. He'd just get his bot to do it.

With Caitlyn staying the night, it was only right he offer her some clothes to sleep in. He grabbed a pair of his own sleeping clothes, a mere top and shorts, before heading to the room Vi occupied.

The shorter brunette looked like she was struggling to stay awake as she watched the bot work on her partner.

"How is she?"

Caitlyn started when she felt Jayce touch her elbow, this time she pulled away from his touch. "She has a fever; no doubt her wounds are infected."

"Then it's a good thing bots don't need to sleep." He offered her the change of clothes. "You should get some rest."

She accepted the clothes with a nod of thanks. "I'll get the room across the hall." She turned to the bot and said, "notify me immediately should she awaken."

"Yes, ma'am," the bot replied.

"Good night, Jayce. And…thanks for helping."

Jayce smiled and nodded. "Anything for you."

It was a tired, half smile that Caitlyn offered him. But a smile from her always spurred butterflies to develop in his gut. Then she entered her claimed room and shut the door silently behind her, leaving Jayce alone in the hall with his thoughts.

The Hero of Tomorrow squashed the urge to knock on her door, hug her, and offer whatever comfort she'd accept from him. Now wasn't the time.

In a way, he regretted aiding Caitlyn. He hadn't thought about her in a long time, he had been so busy lately with his work. Now, spending time with her, Void she saved his life, he found himself aching for the sheriff of Piltover once again.

Damn it, he thought.


	2. Fever

Convalescence

By Eadon

Disclaimer: League characters belong to Riot.

* * *

Vi's world consisted of nothing but darkness, heat, and pain.

She couldn't shake the feeling of hands groping all over her body. It was strange that the touches were both soothing and painful. Anger slowly began to seep into her, which cleansed the drowsiness from her; they never learned to keep their hands off of her.

It was difficult to force her body to wake up and obey her commands. The anger seemed to help so she focused on that.

She paid attention to the rough hands.

The hands consistently caressed her face.

Vi cursed.

Good, the anger was fueling her little by little. She wiggled a finger; she just needed a little more.

From her face, the hands moved downward to her shoulder and did something that caused a flash of pain. Vi held back a yelp. Nonetheless, the pain fueled her anger and she was able to wiggle more fingers. If only she could ball her fingers into a fist, she'd be good to slug the bastard.

The cold hands made contact with her wrist. If Vi could smile she would. As slowly as her body became conscious she realized she was no longer sitting in a chair; she was lying on her back. Even better, her hands were no longer bound.

A new emotion brought more energy into her broken body: eagerness.

If they wanted to put their hands on her again, she'd make them regret it. She didn't care what her "punishment" would be.

It hurt to pull her fingers into a fist, but she kept forcing her fingers to ignore the pain and obey.

The hands moved to her breast and the anger that filled her was instantaneous.

Still unable to lift her heavy eyelids, Vi's arm moved on its own accord and struck at the bastard. She had noticed she was continuously touched from her right side, so that gave her a target on where to punch.

Her hand struck a hard, cold surface and she felt her hand go numb and she felt more than heard a sickening _crunch_.

The pain was crucial, but she had become so accustomed to pain it was easy for her to just ignore it. But of course, her body had become so weak she couldn't stop the cry of pain that escaped her lips.

The cold hands were on her shoulders now, holding her down. She wanted to struggle against them, fight back, they _wouldn't _touch her. If only she could open her eyes.

Her sudden movement woke the rest of her body, but not in the way she had planned. The pain struck her like a wave and she couldn't even think anymore.

A cough overtook her and it felt like her ribs were breaking apart.

Her body felt hot, so very hot, and she wanted nothing more but to escape the heat. It was whatever she was lying on; it was contracting too much heat. She tried to get up and away from it, but the damn cold hands kept her in place.

The anger came back, and although it helped make the pain a little bearable, it still wasn't enough to fuel her to move. She had used all of her energy in that failed punch.

Damn it, Vi cursed.

She will _not_ be weak. She _will_ fight back. She'd escape.

Her struggle stopped when she heard _that _voice. There was only one person in Piltover Vi ever heard with such an accent.

Caitlyn.

The anger within her turned into fury.

The bastards have Caitlyn, Vi mentally screamed.

Broken body be damned, she fought against the inhuman strength of the hands that held her down, her hands searched for the neck of the bastard. Her eyelids still wouldn't obey her, but she didn't care. If she had to fight blinded then so be it.

There was another touch, a warm one, placed on her forehead and she heard Caitlyn's voice again.

Even with her body howling in paralyzing pain, Vi wouldn't give up. She continuously forced her body to obey her. But all she ended up causing was her breath to leave her body and she found it too difficult to suck air back in.

The cough came back with a vengeance; her lungs were burning as if she was drowning. The pain was too much.

Soon, unconsciousness pulled Vi into its dark embrace.

* * *

It had been two days since Caitlyn and Jayce rescued Vi.

And Vi still hasn't woken, the sheriff thought.

Her condition remained at a stalemate. Sometimes, normally when she visited, her condition worsened. But during the day when she was at the Piltover Police HQ Jayce reported she improved.

It was difficult for Caitlyn to decide what to do, take Vi to a hospital, or trust that her treatment from the medical bot would suffice.

On this night, when Vi attacked the bot, she was really close to deciding on just taking her to a hospital. It pained her to see her partner like this.

Or rather, ex-partner; a part of Caitlyn thought.

"Good news, sheriff," Jayce's personal bot turned medic announced, "her fever has broken."

Caitlyn allowed herself to let out a long exhale. Although she's heard the bot say those words numerous times before, she allowed herself to believe the fever would stay gone.

"Forgive me, sheriff, but I must discard these used supplies and prepare fresh bandages. Please notify me immediately for anything." With that, the bot gathered its things and stepped out of the room.

The brunette glanced at the clock that hung in the room, the night was getting late and she would have to head back to her own home soon. She hated to leave; she had difficulty sleeping with so much stress on her shoulders. Frustration and disappointment in herself for continuously hitting dead ends in her investigations, and fear about Vi's condition.

She hated to admit it, but Caitlyn had never felt this stumped in an investigation since the cold cases that involved C. Her investigation heavily relied on Vi. If her health never improved…

Vi's dry cough jarred her from her thoughts.

Before the sheriff left, the least she could do was give her ex-partner some water. To hear her cough brought sympathy pain to her own throat.

It was difficult to lift Vi into a sitting position that didn't hurt her, she knew she was hurting if her face contorted into pain if she was moved in ways that aggravated her bandaged wounds. Thankfully, her face remained still as she was lifted and leaned against a few pillows.

After she placed the small cup against Vi's lower lip, she slowly tilted it so the water brushed against her skin. Upon first contact with the liquid, Vi jerked her face away from the offending liquid, which nearly caused Caitlyn to drop the cup.

"Vi!" Caitlyn protested, her voice strained with worry. "It's just water."

It was awkward to keep the pink haired woman's head in place with her free hand and tilt the cup of water with her other.

Vi initially kept her lips tightly pressed together when the water brushed against them again, but after a moment she seemed to realize what the liquid really was and finally opened her lips to welcome it.

The way she was so adamant against the water that was offered to her, and then judging by the way she greedily drank as if it would be taken away any moment broke Caitlyn's heart. She fought the urge to hug the woman in her arms and fought even harder to keep the tears of anger from escaping.

"I'm sorry, Vi," Caitlyn whispered. She wanted to give her more water, but the bot was very specific on the small quantities she was allowed to drink. During her capture she was kept dehydrated. It would take some time for her body to get used to drinking more water than it was scarcely given, so if she was given too much her body would just expel it.

Placing her back flat onto the bed wasn't as difficult as it was lifting her up. She pulled the covers back over her shoulders and gently placed her hand on her forehead one final time to check for a fever.

She sighed in relief upon feeling Vi's cool skin.

The bot stepped inside the room again, its hands filled with bandages and a bowl of medicinal salve.

"I'll be leaving," Caitlyn announced. "You're aware of the routine, call me should she awaken. Even if it's in the middle of the night."

"Of course, sheriff."

Cailtyn spared one final glance at her ex-partner. A part of her desperately wished she would see the woman's eyelids flutter before opening. When no movement came from her, Caitlyn sighed in disappointment and left.

"Leaving without even saying hi? Or bye, for that matter?"

Caitlyn started at Jayce's sudden deep voice.

"Your bot mentioned you were sleeping, I didn't want to wake you." She felt guilty about leaving Vi with Jayce. It caused him a lot of inconvenience. He couldn't leave his house, so he brought his job home. Despite it all, he never complained.

"I'm awake now." Jayce glanced at Vi's bedroom door. "How is she?"

"Her fever has broken, this time for good, I hope."

Caitlyn didn't wait for him to say anything more; her mind was focused on getting back home to continue her investigation.

"Care to join me for dinner?"

Just a mere mention of food made Caitlyn deeply aware of her stomach's protest for fuel. When was the last time she ate? She vaguely remembered nibbling on something at her office in the early morning.

She was tempted to accept Jayce's offer, but she had too much work to do.

"I'm afraid I'll have to respectfully decline." She brushed past the Defender of Tomorrow and headed for the front door.

"When was the last time you ate, Cait?"

Her eyebrow involuntarily twitched upon hearing him address her by that. It shouldn't bother her, but somehow it still did.

"You always do this when you obsess over an investigation," Jayce continued. "Starving yourself won't find the person that—"

"—Don't pretend to know me," Caitlyn interrupted. Her tone was cold and unforgiving. Truth be told, she wasn't in the mood for an argument and would have just walked out. "I have a lot of work to do."

Jayce sighed, but thankfully he didn't press the issue.

Caitlyn was at the door, her hand gripped the doorknob handle, but she couldn't bring herself to walk out. Bottom line was that she owed Jayce a lot and she couldn't just leave like this. Then she became aware of the mouthwatering scent that drifted from the kitchen.

Her stomach growled again, loudly, and she hoped Jayce didn't hear it. He chuckled lightly so she assumed he had heard her. "I guess dinner shouldn't take long."

She followed the hextech inventor to his kitchen where she was served a heavy, but good, meal. It was hearty with protein and starch due to the red meat, pasta and potatoes.

Jayce spoke throughout their meal, but Caitlyn honestly didn't pay him much attention. The little she did hear she quickly tuned out, he spoke about the project he was currently working on. While she did understand the basics of hextech, what they did and what not, but when it came to engineering she was utterly clueless. Whenever Jayce or Vi went on about hextech it was like listening to them speak a different tongue for Caitlyn.

"Cait?"

The sheriff paused in mid chew, "hmm?"

"You have any leads?"

She wiped her mouth with a napkin before answering. "Unfortunately, no. There's a lot of shifts and routines I have to look into, but haven't had the time."

"A lot happening at the office?"

Caitlyn sighed heavily before taking a sip of her drink. Wait, when did Jayce serve her wine? "My police force is stretched thin between the man hunt for Jinx and their regular patrol routes. The other criminals have gotten bolder and thusly the crime rate is increasing. Therefore, I haven't been able to dedicate as much time to Vi's case than I'd like."

Jayce nodded a slight frown on his face. "Understandable. I had no ideas were so bleak at the office. Wish there was something I could do to help."

"You are helping me with Vi. That's more than enough."

"No it's not. How can I be the Defender of Tomorrow if Piltover has all these problems?"

Caitlyn frowned. She wished she had something to say to the man, but she was at a loss. They ate the rest of their meal in silence.

"Thank you for dinner." Caitlyn told Jayce when he walked her to the door. She didn't say anything more and she didn't let him say anything, she promptly turned and left.

She hated to appear so cold to him, but she was well aware of his lingering feelings for her. It wasn't a conceited hunch, she was just able to read his body language. He still cared for her.

He's a good man, Caitlyn thought.

But she had to call off their romantic time together for several reasons. One, she was too busy with her work. They often wouldn't have time together for weeks to months. Second, she didn't like the media attention. The Piltover Sheriff and the Defender of Tomorrow a couple. It brought too much unnecessary headaches.

They both worked well together. They got along well. It was best for them to just be friends and nothing more.

Before she knew it she was in her apartment. Paranoia struck her and she inspected her tiny home. She couldn't help but fear that whoever kidnapped Vi would target her next. Once her place was fully inspected and clear, her hat and rifle safely set aside, Caitlyn was asleep before her head hit the pillow.

* * *

Strange, Vi couldn't recall a window ever being in the room she was held in.

There was a heat pressing against one side of her face, and it wasn't from a light. It was too strong and most likely from the sun. The most annoying thing about it was that it was shining into her eyes, which made sleep impossible. Then again, that was probably the point. How long had she been out this time?

Her lips parted and a soft, involuntarily groan escaped. Her body was right behind her consciousness in terms of awakening, when her body awoke so did the pain.

It had been days since she stretched. It was a trivial thing, but she missed it. Sitting, tied to a chair for days was terrible on her joints. And her ass.

Her eyelids were caked in dry sweat so it was a hassle to fully lift them. When she did she quickly shut them again with a wince.

Damn sunlight.

She turned her face away from the light and tried lifting her eyelids again. Her vision was terribly blurry, so she spent several long moments blinking.

Where in the void am I, Vi thought.

This wasn't the cold, dark room in some basement she came to accept as her temporary home. The room was fancy with its fancy bedside tables, fancy drawers, fancy paintings, and no doubt the floor was probably fancy too, but she couldn't see it at the moment.

She moved and sorely wished she hadn't. Her world began to spin uncontrollably, and she shut her eyes tight, willing the world to stop. Minutes passed and the world finally stopped twirling. It was a good thing Vi didn't have anything in her stomach or she would've hurled all over herself.

Wherever she was she was safe. Even though her nose was thoroughly stuffed, she was able to catch the scent of medicinal salve. And her hands and feet weren't bound. Or perhaps this was all just some sick joke to make her _think_ she was home free.

Or this is just a dream, Vi thought.

Sitting up pained her ribs and her back, and the dizziness spell came back with a vengeance. This time Vi did hurl. Or she would have, so instead it was painful dry heaves. She was grateful she didn't vomit stomach acid.

Her body screamed and begged her to lie back down, but she had to find out where she was. She tried to glance out the window, but the bright light brought tears to her eyes.

Trying to stand was an even worse idea. Her legs shook from the weight of her body and she promptly collapsed onto the cold ground.

"Vi!"

The pink haired enforcer's vision went from the light cream colored carpet to a male's face. Was that Jayce? He was saying something else, but the fall messed with her cognitive function.

She was sitting on the bed again, and her legs were grateful for it. Her eyes closed for a moment, she just had to let her mind clear, but when she opened them again she was laying on the bed with a bot by her side and Jayce standing by the door.

Her eyebrows knotted together in a frown. She wasn't dizzy anymore at least. "What happened?" Her own voice sounded foreign to her. It was raspy and weak.

"I should ask you the same thing."

Vi was about to respond, but the bot working on her did something that hurt. "Ouch! Watch it, bucket head!"

The most annoying smirk Vi had ever seen grew on Jayce's unshaven face. He looked like he just woke up. "Nice to see you're still yourself."

If Vi could roll her eyes she would, the pain in her head was steadily increasing and rolling her eyes would just add to the hurt. "Where am I? Why are _you_ here?"

His face turned serious. "You're in my home. Caitlyn entrusted your care to me. Long story short, she felt you would be safer here than a hospital."

Vi scoffed then promptly regretted it. Her body racked into a terrible cough. It took the rest of the little willpower she had to not pass out from the pain in her ribs and back. She _hated_ to appear so fragile and weak in front of hammerhead. Where was Caitlyn to grant her a mercy killing with her rifle?

"Where is she?" She asked between gasps. Her throat was so dry it was difficult to speak without breaking into another cough.

Thankfully, the bucket of cogs was smart enough to offer her some water. Well, it tried to _feed_ her the water like she was some helpless infant, but her ego was already bruised. She ignored the weakness (pain) in her arm and grabbed the cup herself.

"She's at work. But she always visits once she's out. You have no idea how relieved she'll be that you're awake."

Vi frowned. "How long have I been out?"

Jayce shrugged. "Three days. Your wounds weren't _too_ serious, but the infection was bad."

In an attempt to fix her image, Vi forced herself to sit up and stand. She could really use some serious pain killers, but she wasn't going to admit that to Jayce.

Jayce was instantly at her side. "Whoa, whoa, you shouldn't be standing."

Vi tried to shove his hands off of her, but failed. She cursed in frustration. Why was she so weak?!

"I'm fine," she snapped. Her legs shook again, but she didn't get dizzy. That was an improvement. It certainly _felt_ like she had been in bed for three days. She's been sitting on a hard chair for longer. "I need to stretch my legs."

Jayce was still _holding_ her like she was an old woman needing help to cross the street. "I said I'm fine, I don't need any help."

He hesitated, but he let go of her and took a step back.

Satisfied, Vi took a few steps before her head swam again and her knees buckled. His reflexes were fast and he caught her. She cursed again. "Never mind, I do need help."

She waited to hear insults about her weakness, but none came.

"Do you have a destination in mind," he asked.

Vi thought for a moment. "Bathroom."

Jayce hesitated when he helped her into the tiled room, but his shoulders relaxed in relief when she kicked him out. She was weak and incapable of walking without assistance, but she wasn't _that_ weak that she couldn't use a toilet on her own.

She let out a long string of curses. Every part of her body screamed. It hurt so sit, it hurt to stand, void it hurt to lean forward so she could wash her hands and face.

Warm water never felt so good. During her captivity she was occasionally "washed" via a bucket of ice cold water poured over her head.

She shut her eyes; she didn't want to think about any of that at the moment. It wasn't the memories of the things they did to her that she was upset about, it was the fact that she was so powerless against it. She never knew that working for a living would be capable of making her so weak. Maybe that was why she repeatedly failed to capture Jinx.

Her eyes opened and she scoffed when she gazed at her reflection in the mirror. Her jawline and cheekbones were more prominent and gaunt; her skin pale, and the left side of her hair was already growing out. She then noticed her earrings and nose ring were missing. If they were ripped from her she honestly couldn't remember. Everything that was done to her was just one long, bloody, painful blur.

It was embarrassing to think she had to be _rescued_. It was worse to think she was kidnapped to begin with.

Now she was a weakling that couldn't _walk_ without assistance. She was only standing because she used the sink counter as leverage. But she wouldn't be able to stay standing like this for long. She was already feeling the strain in her legs and arms.

She hated how weak she's become.

Angry with herself and not able to stand _looking_ at herself any longer, Vi punched the mirror.


	3. Trauma

Convalescence

By Eadon

Disclaimer: League characters belong to Riot.

* * *

A headache had begun to form for the sheriff of Piltover. Caitlyn pinched the bridge of her nose before she studied the board before her. The board was littered with her notes for the week's workload: two robberies, four assaults, and seven reports of vandalism.

The faster she dealt with these reports the faster she can focus on her corrupt officer.

The crimes committed weren't serious and didn't require much of her investigation expertise, but there was something off pertaining to the robberies. She couldn't place her finger on it, yet, but she couldn't bring herself to dismiss the pattern she was noticing.

She started when her phone knocked her out of her focused state. Still, she was grateful for the distraction. Her heart skipped when she heard Jayce's personal bot on the line.

"Forgive me for calling at this hour, sheriff," the bot said, "I'm calling to notify you of the rifle you gave to my master for hextech upgrades is complete."

What rifle, Caitlyn wondered. She couldn't remember giving Jayce anything for any type of upgrade.

"Will you be stopping by later this evening to pick it up?"

Caitlyn was still silent, her brows furrowed in confusion, and then realization dawned on her. Relief flooded into her and she sat down, a small smile had grown on her face.

Vi's awake, she thought.

She was grateful for Jayce's secretive message, and perhaps it was unneeded, but it was best to be safe.

"Are you there, sheriff?"

"Ah—yes, yes I'll be by to pick it up."

"Very well, good day, sheriff."

Caitlyn felt lighter, some of the stress had been lifted off her shoulders. She took another look at her notes and found it easier to concentrate.

* * *

Now that Vi was awake she could have the bastard in jail before the end of the week.

With Vi awake, Jayce had to find the bag Caitlyn had given to him. The bag contained some of her things, new clothes and such, but he couldn't seem to find it. He didn't give it to his bot, and it wasn't in the room Vi occupied.

His search halted when he heard the sound of glass shattering.

Bag forgotten, Jayce raced to the bathroom. The door was still shut.

"Vi?" The door was still locked. He grew more worried when the woman inside remained silent so he knocked on the door, hard. "Vi!"

"I'm fine!"

Jayce sighed in relief. But the fact was he didn't have anything that she could have dropped that was made of glass. "What happened?"

"Uh…"

"Open the door."

"Pervert!"

"Vi!" Jayce could feel a headache forming.

He was rewarded with more silence for another long moment until finally he heard the lock come undone. He opened the door a little too fast and found Vi with a towel wrapped around her hand. Then he noticed the broken mirror and immediately knew what happened.

"Let me see your hand."

"I'm fine! It's just a scratch."

Jayce frowned. Even with Vi clutching her hand close to her chest he could easily see the moderate amount of blood the towel had soaked in. No mere scratch would bleed that much.

"You could have glass embedded in your skin, let me see your hand."

Vi took a step back in the tiny bathroom and glared at him. "I said I'm fine."

Cogs, this woman can be so stubborn, the inventor thought.

"No scratch will yield that much blood."

His words didn't make her budge, which caused Jayce's eyebrow to twitch in annoyance. He was a patient man; he had to be patient in his line of work. But something about Vi was really pushing his buttons.

Not too long ago she was incapable of standing on her own, and now with that bleeding wound she must be struggling to keep on her feet.

His suspicions were correct when he noticed her falter. He quickly grabbed hold of her shoulder to keep her steady.

"Don't touch me!"

Jayce stepped back, his eyes widened slightly and his heart raced as he stared into Vi's angry face. He half expected her to punch him so he raised his hands up in surrender. He wanted nothing more but to leave the woman alone, but she was obviously in no condition to be left alone. He quickly thought of some way to compromise with her.

Food, he remembered, Caitlyn mentioned one of the best ways to reel Vi in was with either food or alcohol.

"Look, Vi," he said slowly, "the sooner I can patch up your hand the faster we can get some lunch. Alright?"

The plan worked. The mention of food and Vi's hostility decreased. She gave a curt nod and tried to hide a grimace as she started walking. After a couple of steps her legs gave way and she nearly crumbled to the floor, but Jayce was quick to grab her.

This time she did try to punch him. Luckily, Jayce read her movement and anticipated her attack. He dodged her swinging fist.

"What the void, Vi!"

Her eyes narrowed in anger, "I said, don't touch me."

Jayce sighed loudly in agitation and _slowly_ stepped closer to her. "You needed help to get in here, and now you have a new wound that's bleeding profusely. You'll need help to get out."

The woman didn't respond. She just looked away and gave a curt nod.

It was frightening, but Jayce slowly moved his arm closer to her shoulder. He half expected her to sucker punch him. Thankfully, she didn't.

As he escorted her back to her room, he could feel her body shake. It wasn't from the cold or fear, it had to be from the excursion she was forcing on her body. He couldn't help but admire her for that. She was surely stubborn, but she did what others couldn't. He knew he wouldn't be able to walk about a few days after what she endured.

Her injured knuckle wasn't bad. Her hand was swollen and most likely would be bruised. Luckily, she didn't have any glass embedded in her skin and the cuts didn't require stitching.

"Press down on your knuckles while I get a bandage," he told her.

The medicinal salve had a strong smell so he did his best to only breathe out of his nostrils. The stuff had to sting as well if Vi's sharp intake of breath was any indication.

"There, that wasn't so bad, was it?"

"Don't patronize me, hammerhead."

Jayce sighed again as he stood. "I'll grab that lunch. You just relax."

He returned with a small bowl of soup and a glass of orange juice. The juice would help her with the blood she lost, and the soup was mostly broth with a few vegetables. It was too soon for her to have too big of a meal, according to his bot.

Vi caught on to her small portion immediately. "What does a girl have to do to get an adult sized portion?" Despite her complaint, she promptly ate.

A twinge of pity struck Jayce as he watched her inhale the food. Was she fed at all during her captivity? Or did they starve her? He had to fight the urge to fetch her a bigger serving.

"Were you given meals?" Jayce wanted to grab the words he just said and shove them back in his mouth. He hadn't meant to ask that aloud.

Vi was just swallowing the last of the broth and downed her juice in three large gulps. It wasn't long until she belched.

"Vi."

The pink haired woman rolled her eyes. "Great, you're just like Caitlyn…excuse me. There, is that better?"

"What?" Jayce realized what she meant then shook his head. "Not that. I asked if you were fed while you were captive."

Vi frowned. "What does it matter if I was or not?"

Jayce realized why he was asking her about it at all. He hoped she would say she was given food, this way he wouldn't feel…cruel by just giving a starving person such small portions.

"Whatever," Vi sighed. "I'm tired. Go play with your hammer or somethin'."

The inventor shook his head. "You shouldn't lie down after eating."

Vi exhaled harshly. "Is mister hero a doctor now?"

Jayce's eyebrow twitched. He knew he shouldn't be getting into an argument with this woman; she was injured, exhausted, and probably still hungry so he could understand why she was snappy. Then again, he and Vi never got along and she was always snappy with him.

He pinched the bridge of his nose and took a deep breath to settle his agitation.

"My master is correct."

Jayce started. He hadn't heard his bot enter the room.

"Gravity plays a role in human digestion. Lying down after consuming food can result in regurgitation, vomiting—"

"Alright, alright." Vi mumbled. She slowly sat up and supported her upper weight onto her elbows. "Spare me the boring lecture."

Jayce immediately noticed the grimace the woman tried to hide. He promptly grabbed the extra pillows that had been tossed to the floor. He reached for Vi's shoulder to help her sit up, but memories of her violent reaction halted his movement.

Vi seemed unfazed by his near touch. She instead looked annoyed he didn't hurry things along so she could sleep.

"I'm…going to help you sit up, alright?"

She nodded. Jayce braced himself for a punch to his face and was ready to use a pillow as a shield. He grasped her shoulder and immediately felt her muscles stiffen, but she didn't yell or attempt to attack him.

He silently sighed in relief.

He nearly jumped out of his skin when Vi hissed loudly when he fully lifted her into a sitting position. He feared for another attack, but none came. He quickly packed as many pillows as he could between her and the bed headboard. When he was done, and he gently placed Vi against the pillows he saw her eyes shut tight and her jaw was clenched.

Just what in the void did they do to her, Jayce thought.

"Your bandages are in need of changing, ma'am." The bot announced suddenly. "Shall I change them now or after you rest?"

"Who the hell you callin' ma'am?" Vi scoffed. "I see no ma'am here, except for pretty boy here."

"Let's leave her to rest, Apollo." Jayce told his bot.

Vi didn't sleep long. Jayce had returned to his office to work on his latest project and didn't get to the building phase yet when he had heard Vi calling for assistance. He knew his bot would take care of whatever she needed, he really needed to get some work done, but his thoughts were elsewhere and it was difficult to concentrate.

His mind kept going back to this whole mess. Who would kidnap and torture Vi? The woman was a brute. And despite being Caitlyn's partner, she couldn't know any important information that was worth torturing for. All she cared for was punching anyone and anything.

Or perhaps she just pissed off the wrong person and this was their attempt for revenge.

Jayce tossed his pencil onto his desk and leaned back on his chair. He couldn't concentrate.

Images of that small room kept flashing before his eyes. All those small tools that were covered with blood sent chills down his back. What in the void did they do to her?

His chair scrapped loudly against the floor when he stood. He wasn't going to get any work done, so he may as well ask Vi some questions. The least he could do was help Caitlyn find this bastard.

The inventor fell into a trance as he watched his bot tend to Caitlyn's ex-partner.

To tend to her wounds, his bot had stripped her to her undershorts and instead of a bra she had bandages wrapped around her chest. Jayce couldn't help his wandering eyes. He scanned her entire body and the bruises, welts, scars, scabs, and still fresh looking wounds that covered her literally from head to toe.

Small circles and short, thin scrapes decorated her feet and legs.

How was she able to walk like that, Jayce thought to himself.

His admiration for the ex-enforcer grew. She was certainly tough, he'll admit that much.

Raw anger built inside his chest when his eyes lifted to her torso. The skin on her ribcage area was a range of colors from green to purple. That would explain why she hissed in pain when he helped her sit up. More wounds like the ones on her lower body also decorated her torso, but there were much more of them and most were deeper looking.

He shut his eyes tight and his fists balled up as he tried to block out the memory of the hooks and scalpels he had seen in that room.

He noticed her arms were free of any wounds, save for her wrists where they were bound with a wire.

His bot, Apollo, noticed his presence. "Oh, excellent timing, master. May I ask for your assistance?"

Vi opened her eyes and glanced at his direction. Jayce half expected her to shoo him out of the room, but she remained silent. She returned her gaze to the ceiling before she grimaced.

"Watch it, bucket head." She said through gritted teeth. "Pull one more bandage off too fast and I'll turn you into scrap metal."

Jayce bit back a retort. Bots weren't cheap. But he kept his thoughts to himself and helped his bot lift Vi into a sitting position. It needed to address the bandages on her back, but Vi refused to be lain on her stomach.

Jayce held Vi in place as his bot set to work on her back. The anger within him intensified as he looked over the countless ugly marks on her back. They almost looked like welts from a whip. Wait, he did see a whip in that room.

He took a deep breath to calm down.

He severely wished that the bastard that did these things to Vi was that bald man that Caitlyn killed. No doubt the man was just a pawn and probably just followed orders, but it comforted him to know that there was one less psycho in his city.

Caitlyn really needed to find the person responsible for this. He'd do everything he could to help her, too.

* * *

The sheriff of Piltover expected to be greeted by Jayce's bot, but instead she was face to face with the man himself.

They greeted each other and he shut the door behind her once she stepped inside.

"Is she awake?"

Jayce shook his head apologetically as he led her to the kitchen. This time he was prepared with some tea and prepared it for his guest. "She's been dozing on and off all day. She finally fell into a sleep not too long ago."

"Damnit," Caitlyn whispered to herself. "Has she said anything?"

Jayce shrugged. "Other than insulting me any chance she gets? No. I haven't asked her anything either. I don't think she'd want to tell her story twice."

Caitlyn nodded before taking a sip of her drink.

Their conversation was short lived when they heard a loud thud.

Caitlyn didn't need to wonder where the noise came from; she promptly rushed into Vi's room with her rifle in hand.

She sighed in relief when she found Vi tossing pillows about the room.

The pink haired woman immediately spotted her and offered her a smug grin. "'Sup, cupcake?"

Caitlyn closed the distance between them and brought the woman into a tight embrace.

"Ow, ow, ow, ow,ow."

The sheriff pulled back from the embrace swiftly. "I'm sorry! Did I hurt you?"

Vi clutched her ribs. "Naw, just…a little sore."

Caitlyn apologized again and sat in the nearby vacant chair. She remembered Jayce mentioned Vi had been drowsy all day. Now that she was awake and probably alert after her crushing hug, Caitlyn needed information from her before she got drowsy again.

"How are you feeling?"

Vi shrugged. "Like Chogy ate me, shat me out, and Kog'Maw ate me afterward, then barfed me into the void."

Caitlyn nodded. She seemed to be her usual self. That was a good sign. No trauma from what she endured during her capture.

"Vi, do you know who captured you?"

The injured woman frowned. "No."

Disappointment stabbed at Caitlyn's heart. She knew Vi wouldn't know the one thing she wanted to know, but a girl could hope. It looks like they would have to start from the beginning. "What happened?"

Her ex-partner shrugged. "I woke up one day in a dark room, a man was there and he tortured me for fun."

This was not what Caitlyn expected to be told. "What do you mean you 'woke up one day?'"

"Just like I said, I woke up and I was tied to a chair. No window, no light. I couldn't even see the bastard's face; I could only hear his voice."

"Were you asleep in your own home and then you woke up in that room? Or did you fall unconscious in public?"

Vi shook her head. "I don't remember."

Caitlyn felt her thoughts go into a frenzy due to so many questions she wanted to ask, but she took a deep breath and kept calm.

"You don't remember? Were you knocked unconscious? Drugged?"

Vi's eyes narrowed as she tried to recall those memories. "All I remember was waking up with a terrible headache."

Caitlyn stood and examined Vi's head for any injuries. Other than the bruises on her face and the already healed cut on her lip and nose, the rest of her head was free of any wounds.

"Do you remember feeling dizzy or nauseated when you woke up?"

Vi nodded. "Yeah, it didn't help that the guy with me had such a damn loud voice."

"Were you…hung over?"

Vi thought a moment. "Possibly."

"Let's go back to the beginning." Caitlyn announced. She could feel Jayce's gaze drilling into her back, but she ignored it. "What did you do after…I dismissed you?"

Vi fell silent for a long moment. Caitlyn thought she meant to ignore her until she finally responded. "I needed a drink and someone's face to punch. So I went somewhere where I could get both."

This was good. Footsteps Caitlyn could follow. "Where did you go?"

Vi grew silent again, her brows furrowed. "Baron's Pit Bar."

Jayce whistled. "That place is in a bad part of town. It was hit hard by Jinx _and_ it's on the edge of the city. Most honest citizens avoid that place."

"Like I _said_, my fists were itching." Vi snapped. Her face softened when she returned her gaze to Caitlyn. "Luckily, someone recognized me and tried to pick a fight." A cocky grin grew on her face. "Boy did he regret doing that."

"What happened after that?"

Vi scratched her head with a bandaged hand. Caitlyn frowned. She didn't remember seeing an injury on her left hand the last time she visited. But she ignored the thought; she could inquire about it later.

"The bartender wasn't even mad. Maybe it was because nothing was broken. He just kept pouring drinks." She yawned, and Caitlyn mentally cursed.

Vi was settling against the pillows, but Caitlyn pressed her for more information.

"Stay with me, Vi. What happened after that?"

"So I got piss drunk. From there, it's bits and pieces. Then I woke up tied to the chair."

It wasn't much, but it was something to start with. "What are the bits and pieces you remember?"

Vi shook her head. "Hard to say. I was walking. A lot of street lights. A brown door. And a bed."

The brown door couldn't have been Vi's apartment. Her place had nothing but white doors. "You don't remember anything else? Like a voice, a person's hair color? Anything like that?"

Vi grinned. "I was with a guy. But I don't think you want me to explain the part of him that I remember."

Caitlyn immediately caught on to what she meant. She was right, she didn't need to know. But the information was good enough for her to start.

Despite being asleep not too long ago, Vi looked exhausted. "That's enough for tonight. I'll let you get some sleep." Caitlyn patted her arm, and immediately regretted it.

Despite her injuries, Vi sat up and had the fingers of her uninjured hand wrapped tightly around her neck.

Her grip wasn't strong enough to cut off her breathing, but the shock of her fast movement and the anger in her eyes froze her to the core.

Jayce was beside her quickly, his hands prying Vi's fingers from her neck.

She rubbed her neck and assured the man she was fine. She kept her attention on Vi, the anger in her eyes had flamed out and was replaced with fatigue and regret.

It looked like she wasn't fine after all.


	4. Recovery

Convalescence

By Eadon

Disclaimer: League characters belong to Riot.

A/N: The rating has been changed to M for Vi's colorful language.

* * *

"Could you give us a moment alone, Jayce?"

The inventor didn't look happy; he wouldn't tear his eyes off of Vi as if afraid she'd attack again. He tensed when Caitlyn placed a hand on his elbow, but he eventually nodded and stepped out of the room with his bot behind him.

Since her outburst, Vi appeared awake and alert. So Caitlyn took full advantage and pressed her for more answers.

_What did they do to her,_ Caitlyn wondered.

Vi's face hardened. "Don't look at me like that!"

Caught off guard, Caitlyn fought the urge to slowly walk out of the room. But she kept her ground and kept calm.

"I'm not some weak little girl. So don't you dare pity me, cupcake."

The sheriffs thin eyebrows raised in surprise. Then she sighed and fought the urge to hug her ex-partner again.

"You're anything but weak, Vi." Caitlyn assured her. She wanted to place her hand on her arm or knee, any kind of expression of comfort, but she knew Vi was never one to accept such gestures, and she was afraid to set her off again.

Her statement seemed to calm the woman, her scarred brows furrowed as she stared at the wall.

It was then that Caitlyn took the time to analyze the ex-enforcer. She was dressed only in her undergarments and the blanket had bunched in a pile around her waist, but she didn't seem to care for covering herself. At least until she noticed Caitlyn's gaze then she pulled the blanket to hide the many hideous bandages, bruises, and scars that littered her body.

"What did they want with you?" Caitlyn asked then. She already had a small notepad and a pen in hand, ready to write down details that were worth remembering and researching.

Vi shrugged. "I was never asked anythin'. I was only taunted."

_That's strange_, Caitlyn thought. What was the point of kidnapping and torturing if something wasn't wanted? Unless this was an act for the sole purpose of causing as much harm as possible, physically and mentally. Whoever was behind this had to have a grudge against her ex-partner.

"What did they say to you when they taunted?"

Another weak shrug was her reply. "I don't really remember. What does it matter anyway?"

"It can help me figure out what their intensions are. This person clearly had something against you, and their taunts can help narrow down _why_ they wanted to do this to you."

Vi frowned. "Whatever." She rubbed her eyes and remained silent for a few moments. Caitlyn feared she was fighting drowsiness, but thankfully she responded. She just needed time to remember.

"The usual shit, ya know? Bitch, whore, pig, dyke, all that good stuff. He wasn't very creative."

It wasn't what Caitlyn wanted to hear. She was hoping for more specific insults that would help her picture what the problem Vi's kidnapper had with her.

"You say 'he,' was he alone? Were there multiple people with you?"

"Yes and no."

"Vi, I need you to be specific."

The pink haired woman sighed in irritation. Caitlyn was well aware of Vi's distaste of "interrogations" upon herself, especially every time she was placed on review whenever she caused destruction of public and private property while on duty.

"The guy that was with me was alone. I think. I could hear other people outside the room I was held in, but they never came in. If any did I couldn't tell."

"Why couldn't you tell?"

Vi replied with a dry cough. She winced and clutched her torso. Caitlyn quickly offered her some water from a nearby pitcher.

"The room was always dark." Vi finally answered once her coughing fit settled. "There was no window, no light, it was just completely dark."

Caitlyn frowned. "Then how were they able to hurt you without light?"

"The bastard always had a flashlight in his pocket or somethin'. The light was always bright as fuck so I couldn't make out what he looked like. Or anyone else that might have walked in."

This _really_ wasn't what Caitlyn wanted to hear. Nonetheless, she wrote down everything Vi told her.

"Did he ever…force himself on you?"

Vi scoffed. "He tried when I was forced to stand and my hands were bound above my head. Needless to say, he regretted trying that shit with me and never tried it again."

Caitlyn sighed in relief. _She really is amazing, _she thought. If their roles had been reversed, she knew she couldn't be as composed as Vi. She'd probably still be unconscious from the wounds alone.

Still, there were a lot of dead ends. No description of the man and no motive other than sadism.

"One last question," Caitlyn added. "Then I'll let you rest."

Her ex-partner nodded.

"You heard multiple people outside the room you were restrained in. Were you able to make out what they said at all?"

Vi shook her head. "The voices were very faint. I heard nothin' specific."

That was another disappointment. There were a lot of dead ends, and she had a lot of hope in Vi for details. The building she and Jayce rescued her from offered nothing for her in terms of clues. It really bothered her that one of her own officers was so good at evading her.

"If you remember anything, let me know, alright?" Caitlyn stood and gathered her things. "I'll be by to visit when I can, but whoever did this to you may be keeping an eye on me. And I don't want to make it a habit of visiting often. It may appear suspicious."

Vi shrugged. "Just go on a date with hammerhead. The media will be all over your asses and it won't seem so suspicious when you visit."

It was a decent plan, but Caitlyn wasn't confident in its success. "Perhaps. But to be safe, I'll have to keep my distance while you heal."

The sheriff placed her trademark hat on and shouldered her rifle. "Vi, it's really, _really_ important that you don't leave this place. Give me some time to find out who is responsible for this."

Vi rolled her eyes. "What's the big deal? They won't be able to take me again."

Caitlyn shook her head. "I can't risk that. Just _please_ stay here until you recover. Promise me, Vi."

The pink haired woman frowned. No doubt she hated the idea of being on house arrest, but it was for her own safety. Caitlyn didn't want to risk her getting abducted again. And she feared what they may do to her the second time.

"Vi?"

The ex-enforcer sighed in irritation. "Fine! I promise I won't fuckin' leave this fuckin' fancy place."

Her explicit language was returning, which had to mean she was feeling better. Caitlyn was still concerned for her outburst from earlier though. No bot upgrade could help Vi with mental trauma. She'd have to look into a doctor that she could trust. "Good night, then." She turned and stepped out of the room. Then she paused and turned back to face her former partner. "Promise you won't break anything."

Vi shook her head. "I'm afraid I can't promise _that_, cupcake."

The sheriff frowned. "I'm serious, Vi. Jayce is sacrificing a lot to keep you here and safe. The least you can do to repay his kindness is to _not_ break his house down."

"Yeah, yeah. He's a fuckin' saint. Just hurry and find that bitch for me."

Caitlyn softly shut the door and anticipated to hear a crash or a thud. When none came, she made her way to the front door where she predictably found Jayce waiting.

"You okay?" He asked.

"I'm fine. Vi's fine though, thanks for asking," Caitlyn remarked.

The taller brunette shrugged. "Still, hopefully your neck doesn't bruise."

Unconsciously, Caitlyn's hand went to feel for her neck. The skin wasn't sore, so she most likely wouldn't bruise. "Has she done anything like this before?"

"Unfortunately, yes. You can't just touch her without her permission or she'll react violently."

"Let me know if she gets worse. I doubt she'd want to talk to a professional about this, but I won't let her suffer alone."

Jayce smiled sadly and nodded. A moment passed and he took a deep breath and finally asked, "I take it you won't stay for dinner this time?"

"I'm afraid not," she replied. Her brown eyes quickly noticed a rifle that leaned against the wall beside him.

He held out the rifle to her. "That's right; you came to pick up the rifle I modified for you. It would appear odd that you stay longer for dinner."

Once she held the weapon she immediately knew it wasn't real. No rifle would ever feel this light. "Thank you."

"I've been thinking about how you could repay me for all this." Jayce crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the wall again, a small smug smile growing on the corner of his lips.

Caitlyn narrowed her eyes slightly. She had a feeling she knew what his request would be. "What is it?"

"Go on a date with me."

_I knew it_, she thought. She didn't have a chance to object before he interrupted her.

"Well, not a real date. Just dinner between two friends. That's all I'm asking."

She sighed. His request was simple enough, and in all honesty he deserved to ask for much more considering everything he was doing for her. And he made his intentions clear that they remain friends. She nodded her approval. "Okay. But on one condition, it will have to wait until after I solve this case."

Jayce nodded. "Of course."

* * *

Feeling much happier than he's felt in weeks, Jayce merrily made his way to his office the next morning. Well, it wasn't much of an office as it was a workshop. The walls were littered with shelves of parts, tools, and other hextech. The center of the room sat a large and wide table that was covered with schematics, notes, papers, pencils the size of ones pinky, a cup's worth of eraser shavings, and the product of his project: a full body suit.

It took Jayce months to work on this project. He hit a lot of bumps during its construction, but it was safe to say he finally finished.

He looked over his notes that contained all of his calculations and triple checked all of them. Once he was satisfied he made no mistakes, Jayce eagerly assured every bolt and cog was firmly in place before he began the long process of getting into the suit. He bent his elbows and knees to assure the metallic plates offered him good flexibility.

Immensely satisfied with his work, Jayce took a giant breath before he turned on the suit. The hiss of the machine turning on had to be the sexiest sound he's heard since he constructed his Mercury Hammer. Goosebumps grew on his arms as he watched the lights flare on different parts of the suit.

Then the suit turned off.

"What?" Jayce asked aloud.

No, he did all the calculations correctly! He turned the suit on again, but the suit remained off.

Disappointment, anger, and sadness all struck him at once. A string of curses poured out of his mouth as he stripped the suit off. He was sure he did the calculations correctly, it had to be something wrong with the suit, and perhaps there was a hiccup in the wiring.

Another problem arose. His satchel of tools was missing.

_That's strange_, Jayce thought, _Apollo normally notifies me before he uses my tools. _

"Apollo!"

Several moments passed and his bot had yet to approach him, which was another strange thing considering his bot was quick to appear when summoned.

"Apollo?"

Still nothing.

With a frown on his face, Jayce set out to look for it. He didn't send it out to purchase anything, so that left only one place it could be. It was probably changing Vi's bandages again.

He wasn't expecting the sight that awaited him once he stepped into her room, however.

Vi was hunched over the desk, clad only in shorts and a tank top, with her back to him. Her bent over position immediately attracted his gaze, and he couldn't fight the temptation to look downward. One look and he couldn't stop his thoughts; he was unaware that a woman like Vi had such a…well defined asset.

Whatever she was doing, she tossed something on the desk that made a distinct loud clatter that helped Jayce focus on his purpose of entering her room. Then he realized what stood next to the doorway, his bot. Only it was shut off.

"Did you turn off my bot?" He accused.

Vi either was too focused on whatever she was working on or she ignored him. Either way, Jayce knew not to touch her to grab her attention.

"Vi?"

The woman gave him a quick glare over her shoulder. Then she seemed to have figured the view she was offering him and stood straight. "Whad'ya want? I'm busy."

Jayce looked over his bot for any damages. It was all in one piece, just simply shut off. He rebooted it. "Why did you turn off my bot?"

Vi returned her attention to the desk. "That bucket head kept naggin' me about how I should be restin'. So I shut it off."

"You could have just simply dismissed—are those my tools?" So _that_ was where his tools disappeared to. Vi had his entire satchel and each tool had been sloppily tossed all over the desk. She was tending to her banged up gauntlets.

The shorter woman shrugged, but kept her attention on her huge gauntlets. "How else was I supposed to fix my babies? That fucker damaged them pretty badly."

"That doesn't mean you can steal my tools!" Jayce moved to grab his things, but Vi moved between him and the desk. Fear struck him when he bumped into her, his arms instantly raised to protect his face from a punch, but no attack came.

"I didn't steal your tools, hammer head. I'm borrowing them." She continued to casually work as if Jayce wasn't even there.

"You _took_ them without my consent. That's stealing. If you had just asked me to borrow them I would have let you." He reached around her, but she continued to shove herself in his way. It took every ounce of patience and strength to not give into her childish behavior and just lift her aside.

"What's the big deal? You were sleeping, and my gauntlets needed fixin'." Vi remarked. She quickly slapped Jayce's hand away when he tried reaching for a wrench.

Jayce was at a loss of what to do. He knew that touching Vi would mean certain painful death, and he would very much like to live longer, but he really wasn't in the mood to be pushed around by her either.

"Wait, you started working when I was asleep? It's early morning, and from what I hear from Caitlyn you aren't a morning person. When did you start?"

There was a pause in her work. "It's mornin' already?"

A thick eyebrow lifted in surprise. Jayce guessed she had been up all evening. Then he saw his opening, Vi glanced at the clock in the room. He quickly and carefully reached around her and grabbed as many tools as he could.

"The fuck, hammer head!" Vi snapped. "I'm still using that!"

She reached for the contents in his arms, but this was payback. A small smirk grew on Jayce's face as he quickly turned his back to her. Vi was relentless and resorted to reaching around him, but he kept the tools tight against his chest. When he felt her hands snake through under his arms he dropped his elbows and trapped her hands against him, she then failed to pull her hands free.

"I swear, hammer head, if you don't let go—"

"You'll what?" He interrupted. He looked over his shoulder and smiled. Now that she was incapable of punching he felt strangely more confident in teasing her. "Punch me? You seem to be at a disadvantage."

Vi's eyes narrowed dangerously which was successful in sending a shiver down Jayce's spine. She remained silent, but she began to exert more strength into freeing herself. If she was at full strength Jayce had no doubt she'd be able to suplex him, but she was still hurting despite her expert strong demeanor.

She leaned forward until her lips were nearly touching his ear. "You _will_ regret it if you don't let me go."

Another shiver traveled down Jayce's back. If it were any other woman than Vi, having a woman's voice whispering into his ear would have sent his mind into a frenzy. But the fact that it was Vi he could taste the venom in her voice.

He freed her hands and nearly bolted out the door. Then he felt like the biggest dick in Piltover. In his peripheral vision he noticed Vi wince and gingerly rubbed her wrists. He had forgotten about the wounds she sustained from the wire that was used to bound her hands. He must've put a lot of pressure on them and hurt her greatly.

He fully turned to face her in time to also notice she was angrily blinking away tears. "Vi, I'm so so—"

"Fuck off!" She stomped out of the room. "You can take your fuckin' tools back!"

Jayce winced at the loud slam of the bathroom door. Yep, he was a dick. The urge to knock on her door and apologize was strong, but he didn't want to risk being punched through the door either. And there was one thing he learned about women. When they were upset, it was best to give them some time to cool off.

As he gathered his tools, guilt stabbed into him as he looked at Vi's gauntlets. They really did take a lot of abuse. They were smashed, cracked, and dirty. To properly fix them they would need new parts, scrap, wires, and many more things. The work Vi was doing was a simple patch job, but it wouldn't last. He had everything she would need in his workshop, but yet she only borrowed his tools?

_Maybe because she can't borrow parts_, Jayce thought.

Now he felt like an even bigger dick.

Once he had all his tools packed into his satchel, he carefully carried Vi's gauntlets to his workshop. Then he set to grabbing all the parts she could need and rested them on the table. The suit of armor would get in the way, and his eagerness to fix his project was taking a backseat to his need to make things up with Vi, so he started putting the armor away on some shelves when he heard Vi walk in.

"I'm warnin' you once, and only once, hammer head, _never_ touch my gauntlets."

Jayce nodded. Then he pointed to the table. "If you want to fix your gauntlets then you'll need the proper supplies. I should have everything you need so help yourself."

Vi didn't move. She looked at the contents of the table then at him. "Weren't you throwing a bitch fit about me grabbin' your tools a few seconds ago? Now you're lettin' me use your spare parts? What's the catch? I have to 'polish' your 'hammer' or somethin'?"

Jayce frowned. Why did she have to be so vulgar and distrusting? "Do you always question people that simply want to help you?"

She shrugged. "On the streets, no one helps for free."

"Well you aren't on the streets anymore. So I'm helping you without expecting anything in return." He grew surprised when she didn't argue. Still, he didn't want to give her the opportunity to say anything. "You can work here. Just…_please_ don't deconstruct the things I have built. I have all the parts and tools you'll need on the shelves."

With that he left the pink haired woman to work while he fixed breakfast for them both. Normally he let Apollo take care of preparing meals, but if he wasn't going to be working on his armor then he wanted something to do.

He debated on calling Vi over to eat, but if she was anything like him when it came to working with hextech then she would prefer to eat while she worked. Jayce headed back to his workshop with a tray with her meal and a mug of coffee; if she was up all night then she would need the caffeine.

The tray nearly slipped from his grasp when he spotted what Vi was doing. She was tinkering with his suit of armor.

"Vi!"

The woman started. She looked at him innocently. "What?"

Jayce felt a vein in his forehead twitch.

"I _asked_ you to not touch my stuff!" He placed the tray on the table none too gently.

He did a nice thing for her and she couldn't even grant him his one simple request. She had to help herself to his armor and pried it open.

Thankfully, she didn't play keep-away with his armor. Even better, she didn't take it apart. She just opened it.

She scoffed. "You do know what you did wrong, right?"

Jayce paused. Was she toying with him? She had to be. No way could she deduce his mistake. Or maybe he did perform a really stupid mistake when he built the armor?

"It took me months to build this. I highly doubt you were able to find what's wrong with it in ten minutes," he remarked.

A small grin grew on her bruised face. "So there is somethin' wrong with it. I guessed it wasn't workin' since you wanted your tools so badly."

She baited him? Jayce frowned and crossed his arms. "Why did you open it then?"

"I wanted to see how it worked." The numerous papers caught her attention and she began to look through them. Predictably, she ignored his calculations, but she studied the diagrams and blueprints. "You finally decided to make a tin can to protect your pretty face from me?"

"Not exactly," Jayce frowned. "I'm making this for Piltover's military. It not only protects the person from most hextech weapons, but it can also enhance your speed and strength. Once it was done I was going to test it in the Fields of Justice."

"How much faster and stronger are we talkin' about?"

"It depends on the wearer, but the armor can bolster speed from fifteen to thirty-four percent, and it can lift and support at least three hundred pounds."

Vi looked at him as if he grew a second head. "That's…try translatin' that from egg head to a language I can understand."

"If _you_ wore the armor not even Master Yi could run away from you. And you could not only take a Malphite body slam to the face and not even get fazed, but you could also throw him."

Another smile grew on her face, but it wasn't a grin or a crooked smile, it was an earnest smile that made Jayce feel uneasy. He felt stranger to admit that her face looked…more pleasant when she smiled like that. Too bad she only smiled when it came to violence.

"Not bad, hammer head," she teased. The plate of food caught her attention so she promptly tossed herself on the only chair in the room and stuffed her face. "What's the problem with it," she asked with her mouth full.

It took a moment to comprehend what she asked, but Jayce shrugged. "That's why I needed my tools. I need to look inside and see what's wrong. I know my calculations are correct."

"You mean these?" Crumbs spewed from her mouth as she picked up a paper. One look at it and she nonchalantly crumbled it and tossed it over her shoulder. "Math is for pussies."

"What the void, Vi?!" Just when they were having a decent conversation without her having to resort to insulting him, she had to do this. The paper was wrapped tightly and tore if he straightened it too fast.

With her meal done and coffee drained in a few gulps, Vi moved the tray aside and continued to look into the armor. "You egg heads and your _calculations_."

Satisfied that he finally smoothed out the paper, Jayce sought a safe place to store it. "Calculations are necessary to assure safe handling."

"They're a waste of time."

Jayce stepped closer to her so he could see what she was doing.

"Is this the only capacitor," she inquired.

"Yes. Its energy output is substantial for the entire armor."

Vi looked at him in silence and blinked.

"That one capacitor is enough to power the whole suit by itself."

"Why didn't you say that in the first place?" She looked back into the machinery, she grabbed a tool that would let her measure the energy from the capacitor and turned the armor back on. A moment passed when it turned off again.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm surprised that a person with a fancy education like you doesn't know that one capacitor isn't enough to power somethin' with multiple uses."

Jayce frowned. He wanted to extract his paper of calculations and show her that the one would be sufficient, but he was afraid she'd tear it up this time. "I calculated that all of the required energy would be enough from the capacitor that it has. Yet it still turns off."

Vi sighed. "You're thinkin' of somethin' with a single purpose, like a weapon. One capacitor may be enough to power it on and supply the energy needed for the speed and such, but you didn't think about the change of energy that's strainin' the single capacitor when the suit activates its other uses."

Jayce's brows lifted in both surprise and realization. "Of course. To fuel the change of speed and strength it creates an energy spike, which overloads the capacitor and it shuts off."

The correction would be simple, but a bit inconvenient. He would have to install additional capacitors which would mean he may have to rework the suits structure. And he would have to figure out a safe place to hold them so they wouldn't be susceptible to damage in battle.

His thoughts were interrupted when Vi shoved the armor onto his chest. "Put it on."

"What?"

"Put it on. Then we can figure out the best places to keep the rest of the capacitors."

We? He was surprised Vi would even care to help him. But he wasn't complaining. Even though her methods were different than his, she understood hextech well. Her gauntlets were proof of that.

The more surprising thing about them working together on his armor was that she eased off of him. She wasn't quick to insult or belittle him. She was adamant against learning about calculations, she preferred the trial and error method (which was just as effective, but dangerous), but she was interested enough to learn anything from Jayce, or teach him things herself.

For once, they got along.

They worked tirelessly for days and took breaks for meals or to use the facilities. Soon, the suit of armor was done. He wanted to test out the durability of it against Vi's gauntlets, but he was unsure if she was even strong enough to put one on, let alone punch with them. When he carried them they easily had to weigh over fifty pounds.

"What are you lookin' at, hammer head?"

Jayce came to accept that nickname like how she would refer to Caitlyn as cupcake. He no longer saw it as an insult.

In truth, he couldn't help but admire her. The past few days he learned a lot about her near prodigal knowledge of hextech. He wouldn't say they bonded while they worked together, but he did learn more about her. She wasn't just a mindless brute.

"Where did you learn about hextech," he asked her.

She seemed surprised by his question. "It was just somethin' I picked up when I was a kid, ya know? A girl had to protect herself on the streets."

"Hextech isn't really something you look at and just figure out how to create. Someone had to teach you."

"No one did. I stole hextech and learned I could make more money selling parts than if I sold the whole thing. So by deconstructing things I learned how hextech worked. Eventually I started crafting things or modified them."

"Like your gauntlets?"

"Yep."

_She learned on her own_, Jayce thought in awe. Even he learned everything from schooling.

"You're amazing."

Jayce mentally cursed. He hadn't meant to say that aloud. Vi remained quiet and looked away. Then he noticed the faint red tint on her cheeks and he grinned.

He made Vi blush!

His personal victory came to an end when she punched him on the arm. It didn't hurt as it normally did, but it still stung. "What was that for? A gentleman can't give a lady a compliment?"

She scoffed and absentmindedly rubbed her wrist. "I'm no fuckin' lady. And you're not a gentleman either."

He chuckled at her jab. If they weren't talking about hextech then she resorted back to insulting him. Nonetheless, he was satisfied to see a woman like Vi blush and he was happy his suit of armor was complete and worked. Vi could insult him all she wanted.

He was too happy to care.

"It's late, and I'm exhausted. So I'll be retiring." He stood and stretched. "Good night, Vi."

"Night, hammer head."

As he passed her, he finally noticed the dark circles under his eyes. Strange, he couldn't remember noticing them during the two days they worked closely together. Perhaps she was just as tired as he, maybe even more so considering she was still healing.

Jayce fell into a deep sleep, but suffered from a strange and disturbing dream. He dreamt he stood on the Fields of Justice with his full metal suit on. His invention worked beautifully. It protected him immensely from all sorts of damage, the suit offered great flexibility that didn't hamper his agility when he dove head first into battle with his hammer in tow, and the speed and strength enhancements were perfect with his fighting style.

Then in the middle of battle the suit tightened. It tightened until he couldn't breathe. All of his attempts to remove the armor failed. He was helpless as he slowly became crushed inside his suit.

Jayce awoke in a cold sweat. His body felt hot and his bed sheet clung to his sweaty torso.

_What kind of dream was that_, he wondered. It had been years since he had a nightmare. _Maybe I'm just worried about the suit malfunctioning_.

Nonetheless, he needed fresh air. When was the last time he stepped out of his house, even to his own balcony? Close to a week, since he and Caitlyn rescued Vi.

He almost forgot how good of a view he had on his balcony during the evening. The peace and quiet calmed his nerves at least. But the chill in the air chased all drowsiness away. His stomach was also starting to growl as well. He couldn't even remember if he ate dinner.

A little midnight snack wouldn't hurt.

On his way to the kitchen he had to pass the room Vi was in. At first he thought he was hearing things, maybe he was more tired than he thought, but he could have sworn he heard a whimper.

Curiosity got the best of him so he entered her room. He immediately spotted his bot next to the door and it was shut off, again. His agitation quickly converted to worry when he saw Vi toss in her bed. Like him, she was having a nightmare and her face was drenched in sweat.

She was breathing hard as if she ran a mile, and her voice came out weak every time she whimpered something incoherent.

"Vi?" Jayce knew he shouldn't touch her, and he was afraid to do so especially since she was having a nightmare.

A groan escaped her as if she was in pain. "Stop," she muttered.

Her squirming became worse and her voice louder.

_Screw it_, Jayce thought to himself. He touched Vi's shoulder and shook her slightly.

"Vi, wake up."

A few shakes later, she awoke with a start and bolted up into a sitting position.

"Vi."

"DON'T TOUCH ME!"

Terrified and delirious from her dream, Vi tried to create as much distance between her and Jayce as possible. Her feet were tangled in the bed sheets and she nearly fell off the bed if not for Jayce's fast reflexes.

He anticipated her to attack him so he quickly grabbed her other arm and held her steady.

"Let go of me!"

"Vi! It's me!"

He could feel her body shake and she was still breathing hard. It disturbed him to see her like this. Was she dreaming about her imprisonment?

She continued to struggle against him and he was afraid to let go of her in case she tried to attack him again.

"Vi, it's me Jayce. You're in my home." Little by little she stopped trying to escape. "You're safe now."

Finally, she stopped moving. Long, awkward moments passed, but Jayce didn't let go of her and she didn't try to break away. Her breathing eventually settled and when she spoke to him, her voice was hoarse.

"You can let go now."

"You won't punch me?" Jayce asked.

He felt her face shake in affirmative against his shoulder. Cautiously, he let her go. She stayed true to her promise and pulled away from him. After untangling her legs from the sheets, she stood and walked out of the room without saying a thing, leaving Jayce alone with his confused thoughts.


	5. Drinking Game

Convalescence

By Eadon

Disclaimer: League characters belong to Riot.

* * *

_Stupid, stupid, stupid_, Vi thought viciously.

She had to get as far away from Jayce as possible and since she couldn't leave the house she opted to retreat upstairs. Since she hadn't explored the second floor yet she blindly wandered until she found herself on a balcony that oversaw the backyard.

Despite the bright lights of the city, the balcony was cast in a shadow that would hide her well. Long minutes passed while she simply stared at the lights. It was difficult to think of anything other than what she dreamed. She needed a distraction, something or someone to punch, a hard drink or twelve, anything.

There was nothing for her save for watching the view.

She winced when she balled her fists too tightly. She looked down at her wrists and glared at the ugly wounds that persisted. The rest of her body healed quickly, most of her wounds were nearly fully healed, the bruises have perished, and even her cough subsided. Every time she curled her fingers into a fist or tried to punch something the wounds hurt enough to bring involuntary tears to her eyes.

_Hurry and heal, damn you_, she cursed at her injuries.

Once she was one hundred percent again she could get away from this place. She could be her own woman again, return to robbing and assaulting criminals. This time she wouldn't have to obey rules, policies, or give a fuck about anyone's rights. She wouldn't have to listen to Caitlyn anymore either.

A sigh escaped her lips and she took a seat in one of the two chairs.

At the same time, she wasn't looking forward to returning to her vigilante ways. As fun as it was it was lonely. She wasn't the friendliest person, and when she was on her own she couldn't afford to trust anyone. When she became Caitlyn's partner they slowly became more than co-workers, they were friends.

Caitlyn was her only friend.

She spent a lot of time with other officers as well. She wasn't immediately accepted by them, they still saw her as a criminal. But after catching a few infamous criminals they warmed up to her. And as annoying as they were with their self-righteous attitudes she never felt lonely. She was included in parties, cook outs, things like that. She came to enjoy being a part of a group of people again.

She let out a harsh scoff. The thought of her being sad to be lonely was laughable.

_I really have become weak_, she thought.

All the more reason why she had to heal quickly and get out on her own again.

* * *

Jayce couldn't sleep the rest of the night. His thoughts always returned to Vi. It baffled him to think he was so concerned for her. But she was hurting and it was in his nature to help, even though she clearly didn't want his aid.

He decided to wait for Vi to return to her room before he approached her. When minutes of waiting turned to an hour he grew worried and ventured out to find her. She wasn't in his workshop nor the bathroom or kitchen. Every empty room he walked into he grew more and more worried. He hoped she didn't leave the house.

His worries came to a relief end when he found her on the second floor balcony. He almost didn't notice her if it weren't for the bright color of her hair.

_It's freezing outside, has she been out here this long_, Jayce thought.

He tentatively stepped closer to the balcony entrance, but thought better than to bother her. There was a good chance she would kick him out. Or punch him. Or throw him off the balcony.

Maybe if he offered her some sort of peace offering? He snuck away and returned to the kitchen and brewed some fresh coffee. On his way back with two mugs of the drink he remembered to reboot his bot and ordered it to cook something warm for breakfast.

By the time he returned to the balcony the sun had already risen, but its light was mostly hidden behind numerous dark clouds. The air was cold enough, but the freezing rain that began to sprinkle down seemed to drop the temperature further. Thankfully, the roof protruded outward just a bit that protected part of the balcony from the rain.

"Get out," Vi snapped the moment he stepped next to her.

"I will," Jayce replied. "I just came to give you this, and I'll be on my way."

As an incentive, he placed the steaming coffee under her nose. Hopefully the smell of the drink would convince her to accept it. It worked, she took the mug and their fingers brushed against each other's. Her fingers felt like ice.

"I also brought you this." Jayce placed his own mug of coffee on the vacant chair for a moment while he unfolded the blanket he held on his arm and placed it on Vi's shoulders. He felt her body stiffen when his palms touched her, but she didn't react violently.

"Breakfast will be ready soon, so feel free to come down whenever you're hungry," he added.

Vi didn't respond, she simply continued to stare out into the city.

Jayce was a man of his word. He left her in solitude, but stepped into his room to change into warmer clothes. The days were certainly getting colder, and being outside for less than a minute brought the chills. He couldn't fathom how Vi was able to stand it considering she wore less than he.

Upon returning to the kitchen Apollo had prepared a stew. It was a perfect meal to warm him up; despite the warmer clothes he still couldn't shake off the cold. Vi appeared before he could place a spoonful of stew into his mouth. His jaw nearly dropped when he immediately noticed she _still_ sported shorts and a tank top. He knew the woman was tough, but was she truly immune to the cold or was she putting on another brave face?

She joined him at the table after Apollo served her a bowl. Jayce half expected her to avoid eye contact with him, but she kept her chin up and looked at him a moment before she focused her attention on her meal.

They ate in silence; the only sounds in the room were the clanking of their spoons scraping against the bowls. Each spoonful of the stew warmed Jayce's core and his taste buds fell into euphoria. It was during tasty meals that he was glad for the culinary upgrade he bought for Apollo despite its hefty price tag.

Despite being content with the silence, Jayce continuously fought the urge to start a conversation. It wasn't normal for him to be dining with a lady in silence, even if that lady was Vi.

And Vi was anything but a lady.

The way she ate and her manners, like slurping and wiping her mouth with the back of her hand instead of a napkin, were anything but ladylike.

"So uh," Jayce said, "I'll be sending Apollo to get some things, groceries and what not. If you need anything at all just let him know."

Vi remained silent, but nodded. Once she was done with her second helping she left Jayce alone, probably to chase down Apollo.

It astonished Jayce that Vi could eat two servings and be done before he could complete his first serving. He was slightly disappointed she left him to dine alone; he wanted to ask her about what she dreamt. Then again, Vi was a woman of action rather than words. He severely doubted she'd want to talk about her nightmare anyway.

When he was done with his meal, he retreated to his workshop. Now that his full metal armor was complete he could move on to his next project. What exactly he wanted to work on he wasn't sure yet. He also kind of hoped Vi would want to work with him. They worked well together and made fast progress.

_She's unemployed now. Maybe I could ask her to work with me? I can put in a good word for her_, Jayce thought.

Speaking of Vi, he found her in his workshop, hunched over the table. She was working on her gauntlets. Strange thing was she wasn't moving and he could swear he heard a soft snore.

_Is she sleeping?_

Yes she was. She kept her head on a gauntlet like a makeshift pillow. Her pink hair covered most of her face, but Jayce was still able to make out the tattoo on her cheek.

He thought about letting her sleep like that, but from personal experience he knew she'd wake up with a severely hurt neck that would bother her for days. For the past week he's learned the hard way that when Vi was hurting she was cranky.

"Vi," he said softly. He didn't take long to finish his meal when she left him, so she hasn't been asleep long. Therefore, she should be in a light slumber.

When she didn't wake he called her name again, but a little louder. She still didn't wake up even when he called her a third time. Jayce cringed when he quickly tapped her shoulder. Still no response. He shook her shoulder. Still nothing.

_Cogs, this woman can sleep like the dead._

If it weren't for her snoring he'd be afraid she was dead. Then Jayce remembered the dark circles under her eyes the day before. He moved the curtain of pink out of her face to see said circles. They were still present. He didn't know how long she'd been going without sleep. But perhaps her body finally forced itself into sleep, which would explain why she was in such a deep slumber.

Well, Jayce couldn't leave her like this. And without having to worry about her waking, he collected her into his arms. She mumbled something incoherently when she was jarred, but her eyelids remained shut.

Once he placed her in bed, Jayce returned to his workshop and cleaned up. With Vi's gauntlets carefully stashed away on a shelf, he began his work which mostly consisted of going through notes and scribbling on blank paper. With Apollo out of the house, Vi asleep, and the rain reducing to a soft drizzle, silence soothed Jayce.

The blank paper was soon covered with small diagrams and formulas. Just when his hand cramped and his head felt heavy from exhaustion he heard Vi shout.

"GET OFF ME!"

Panic chilled his blood and he sprinted to Vi's room without grabbing his hammer.

Vi was alone in her room. Relief spread through Jayce a moment before he realized the woman was having another nightmare. Only this time she wasn't whimpering like she did the previous night. Instead, she yelled in anger and seemingly in pain.

The sight before him brought Jayce into a panic. Getting punched was the least of his worries. He promptly rushed to Vi's side and shook her gently in hopes to jar her awake. She didn't wake and continued to scream.

Fearful his neighbors would hear her, Jayce frantically shook her harder. "Vi, wake up!"

Perspiration gathered on her forehead and her cheeks were flushed. As quickly as she began screaming she stopped and her eyes opened. There was a long moment where she appeared to be utterly confused of her surroundings. Her blue orbs turned to Jayce and he saw a flash of panic.

"DON'T TOUCH ME!"

Fear and instinct told Jayce to let go of the delirious woman, but he steeled his nerves and kept a hold on her arms so she wouldn't attack him. She thrashed and pushed against his hands and nearly succeeding in throwing him off if he had not leaned in such a way so that he used his own body weight to reinforce the strength against Vi. However, doing this brought his face close to hers.

Panic was beginning to take hold of her and he could feel her ragged breath against his neck. "Calm down! It's just me!"

She spat in his eyes and on reflex he nearly brought his hands up to wipe them clean. Blinking the saliva out of his eyes, he continued to call and reassure her, but his voice reached deaf ears. She was still stuck in the horror of her nightmare.

Despite the weariness that hammered into his arms, Jayce didn't dare move until Vi ceased to struggle. He watched as her blue eyes blinked and then she looked _at_ him, recognized him.

Her face fell into a frown as her eyes analyzed the position she and Jayce were in.

He expected a warning or a death threat to get off of her, but she remained silent. Perhaps she tried to make sense of what transpired.

"Are you alright?"

Her eyes looked back to him. Jayce felt like a moron for never noticing the color of her eyes before. But then he never had a reason to get this close to her.

"Get off me." Her voice was weak and shook slightly.

Jayce obliged. He quickly noticed the red marks he left on her arms and he mentally cursed. Why did he always hurt her? If she tried to punch him he wouldn't stop her.

Just like the night before, Vi wasted no time in untangling herself from the covers and stood on shaky legs. She meant to leave the room again but Jayce grabbed the bottom hem of her tank top.

She turned to him with a glare that would normally send shivers down his back, but Jayce's concern for her overpowered the fear.

"Vi, what happ—"

"I don't want to talk about it!"

Obviously, he didn't expect her to want to talk. Looked like he would have to tell Caitlyn Vi would need to see a proper doctor for this type of thing. The severity of her nightmares was not normal.

"Fine, we don't have to talk about your nightmares. But…is this why you weren't sleeping?" He noticed her hands balled into fists.

Suddenly, she swiftly turned to face him. "You think I'm scared to sleep? That I'm scared of some fuckin' dreams?" She didn't let him answer, she pressed on, "fuck you! I'm not weak!"

Pity overcame Jayce. Nightmares were common to him as a child and he always received comfort from his parents. What child didn't? Without parents, and alone, how did Vi deal with nightmares when she was a child?

_She always had to deal with it alone, which explains why she tries to get away from me_, Jayce thought.

Fury had built up within Vi's eyes as she recognized the solemn expression on Jayce's face. "Don't look at me like that, hammerhead!"

The inventor cursed at himself mentally. He desperately wanted to help Vi, but all he did was either hurt or anger her. Reluctantly, he let go of her shirt and watched her step out of the room.

"I need a drink," she muttered, one hand pushed her hair out of her eyes.

He was hesitant for a moment, but eventually Jayce decided to follow her. "I have tea and juice. What do you prefer?"

Vi scoffed. "When I say I need a drink, hammerhead, I mean I need a _hard_ drink."

The taller man frowned. "You want to drink now? It's not even noon yet."

Now in the kitchen, Vi shrugged and moved to search for any alcohol. "Why are you people so obsessed with drinkin' only in the evenin'?"

"What do you mean by 'you people'?"

Another shrug was her reply. "You, Caitlyn, other people that had it easy growin' up. What's so great about drinkin' at night _and_ on the weekends?"

"It's the social norm."

Vi raised an eyebrow at him. "If you're goin' to talk about psychology shit save it until I'm shitfaced."

Jayce sighed before moving to open a cabinet and pulled out a bottle of wine and two glasses.

"Wine?"

"Yes, you don't like it?"

The ex-enforcer scrunched her eyes in disgust and stuck out her tongue. "That shit is for pompous people and their fancy parties."

Jayce couldn't help but take slight offense to her statement. He wasn't pompous, was he? "Well it's the only alcohol I have."

Vi approached him and ripped the bottle from his hands. "No, no, no. I'd have to drink like five bottles to feel a buzz." She tossed the bottle into the sink nonchalantly and wiped her hands on her shorts as if the mere touch of the bottle was dirty.

Anger flared into Jayce. "That was Demacian wine! Do you have any idea how expensive that is?!"

The shorter woman rolled her eyes and continued her search in the cabinet the wine was stashed in. Something in the back caught her eye, but she was too short to reach for it so she climbed onto the counter, which resulted in Jayce's eyes bulging out of their sockets.

"Careful!"

"For fuck's sake, you're worse than Cait. I'll be fine." She made a satisfied noise and pulled out her prize: a small bottle of an amber liquid.

Jayce felt surprised to see what she held. He vaguely remembered receiving the bottle as a gift when he first started working as a hextech inventor.

Now that she had some light, Vi read the label and laughed. "This is Zaunite whiskey."

"Is that good?"

Vi looked at him as if he grew a second head. "You call yourself a man and you don't know what a booze gem this is?"

He shrugged and then crossed his arms over his chest. "I prefer wine, I've never really drank hard liquor."

Her expression then changed to one of shock. "That's it; I'm teachin' you how to drink." She thrusted the whiskey bottle into his hands then fetched two small glasses and filled them with ice.

Unsure of where they should drink, Jayce settled in the next room. There were two couches near a fireplace and a window offered a nice view to the backyard. Due to the fireplace, the room was the warmest in his house. After he ignited a fire, he opened the whiskey bottle just as Vi walked in. She placed a glass of ice on the coffee table in front of him before sitting on the opposite couch. She immediately noticed the open bottle in Jayce hands, grabbed it, and poured small amounts of the alcohol into both of their empty glasses.

Vi wasted no time in kicking the glass back and swallowed the whiskey in one gulp. She exhaled loudly and coughed. "That's _really_ good shit. How did you get a hold of it?"

Jayce stared at the amber liquid in his glass and shrugged. "I think it was a gift. I don't really remember."

"Well drink up, hammerhead." Vi helped herself to another serving. Before she drank, she frowned as she watched Jayce swirl his cup.

Reluctantly, he took a sip and nearly spat the burning liquid out which resulted in Vi bursting into laughter.

"You weren't jokin', you really don't know how to drink _real_ booze," she teased. "The trick is to swallow it as quickly as possible. Don't let it linger in your mouth. Go on, try it."

She watched intently as Jayce attempted another drink. Following her advice, he swallowed the burning amber liquid the moment it rolled into his mouth. The alcohol fumes burned in his throat and his nostrils which yielded him to fall into a small coughing fit.

"Oh yeah, after taking a swig it helps to exhale out of your mouth to avoid the burning. Try again." She poured more into his glass.

Despite following her advice, Jayce _hated_ the taste of the whiskey. It was disgusting. How could Vi or anyone drink this kind of alcohol? At least wine didn't burn and it tasted pleasant. Nonetheless, he attempted a second serving. Exhaling through his mouth helped and the alcohol didn't feel as strong going down.

His stomach knotted, from the whiskey or the sight of Vi smiling at him, he didn't know.

"Good job, hammerhead." Jayce couldn't help but feel as if she was talking to a dog. "You learn fast." She poured a massive amount into both of their glasses. "How 'bout we make things interestin' and play a drinkin' game?"

A bad feeling overcame Jayce. "What do you have in mind?"

Another smile grew on Vi's pale face. "A simple one. Some of the guys and I would play it after a long shift."

"Go easy on me at least." Jayce grinned.

Vi scoffed. "I don't do mercy." She cracked her fingers. "Alright, the rules! We both take turns asking the other a question. It can be any question. If you answer then the person who asked you the question has to take a sip. If you refuse to answer then you have to drink everythin' that's in your cup. First one to puke or pass out loses."

_Fantastic_, Jayce thought. He wasn't looking forward to the conclusion of the game. "Wait, what is the carton of juice for?"

"It's to help you chase down a drink if need be." She correctly assumed Jayce didn't understand the term, chase, so she clarified. "Drink some juice after takin' a swig to help clear the burnin' feeling."

_What am I getting myself into?_

"Dibs on askin' first!" Her lips pulled into a smirk. "Have you ever embarrassed yourself at work?"

Jayce suppressed a wince. He wasn't surprised she would ask for humiliation stories. "Yes, when I first became an inventor." A moment passed and Vi didn't touch her drink. "I answered your question. Aren't you supposed to take a sip?"

"You have to go into the details! You can't just answer yes or no."

"That wasn't clarified in the rules."

Vi rolled her eyes. "It's an unspoken rule. What's the point of askin' questions if you aren't gonna give all the juicy details?"

"Fine," Jayce sighed. "I botched my first assignment." He noted how Vi leaned forward, a small grin plastered on her face. "I was in charge of conducting a prototype firearm. After I completed it, I was to observe its testing, as was Heimerdinger and the other scientists. What I hadn't realized was that the firearm was to be used by yordles."

A chuckle escaped Vi which earned her a glare from Jayce. "I'm gonna guess the gun had too much firepower?"  
"Yes. I designed it so a human could withstand the recoil, not a yordle. So, when he fired it he shot back faster than the weapons own bullet." Vi clutched her midsection as she fell into a roaring laugh. Once her laughter settled he continued, "it didn't help that I was standing behind him." He paused again and glanced at the ground, his cheeks felt hot.

"And?" Vi grinned. "I know there's a little more to that ending."

"I—well—yeah, with my height compared to a yordles, he sort of…collided into a _very_ sensitive area."

Vi just about fell off the couch. All her attempts to say something failed as she just fell into another laugh.

Maybe he should have just avoided her question and taken the punishment, but the amount of whiskey in his glass would be enough to either make him ill or fall unconscious, most likely both.

Despite the embarrassment of being laughed at, he enjoyed seeing and hearing Vi laugh. He couldn't recall if he ever witnessed her laughing, well except when they met on the fields of justice. But her laughter had always been for taunting purposes.

Once she finally calmed, she sat up and took a sip. Her cheeks were already flushed, but it wasn't from the alcohol.

_What do I ask her?_

An idea struck him, he thought about asking about the nightmares that had been plaguing her. However, he couldn't bring himself to do so. It was a sensitive issue for her, and he didn't want to ruin her good mood.

"What is _your_ most humiliating defeat from the fields of justice?"

Her smile faded quickly and her eyes narrowed into a glare.

"Getting thirsty? You have plenty to drink in that cup of yours." It felt good to be the one asking a question.

"Fuck you," Vi retorted. "But it's not a question I haven't been asked before when I play this game." She sat back and rested her ankle over a knee. "I got my ass kicked by that furry midget that uses mushrooms to fight."

Jayce suppressed a chuckle. "Teemo? You being taken out when you are weak before the fight doesn't count."

"I know that, hammer head. And I wasn't weak. I was on my way to help a teammate when the bastard popped out of the bushes and attacked me. The thing was, no matter how many times I punched him he just healed after every dart that hit me."

"That's…amusing." Jayce drank a sip with Vi's instructions in mind. She told the truth at least in regards to becoming more immune to the burn of the liquor the more it was drunk.

"Fuck off; no doubt he's kicked your ass plenty of times."

"Actually, I haven't. And I tend to face him several times."

Her scarred eyebrows knotted in anger. "_My_ question now, did you _cry_ when Cait dumped you?"  
That was a low blow, and one that Jayce hadn't expected. If it were anyone else that asked him that he'd have no qualms about answering honestly. But with Vi, well he knew she would use that information to further taunt him, and frankly he wasn't interested in giving her more ammunition in that department.

He looked down at his full glass and thought about drinking it all, but he knew he wouldn't get any further than four gulps. Vi was looking at him with that intimidating smirk of hers, waiting for an answer. Suddenly he became aware of her strategy. She was asking him difficult questions that he'd want to avoid answering, but the full glass of alcohol was a powerful motivator to choose to answer.

_To void with it, if she wants to taunt me for this she can go ahead. Everyone has suffered heartbreak._

"Yes, I did." He finally answered, but his voice was so soft he had difficulty hearing himself. He just hoped Vi heard him, he didn't feel like repeating himself.

She did hear him, thankfully. But what she said next was worse than asking him to repeat himself, "yes, what?"

A spark of anger flared into Jayce. "Yes, I cried when Caitlyn dumped me."

She had the audacity to laugh, which made Jayce feel even angrier. "Cait always avoided answerin' me when I asked her that. Now I know." She winked at him before she took another sip.

"I didn't cry in front of her," Jayce clarified.

"Su-u-u-u-re."

_Two can play at this game._

It worried Jayce that he felt this angry, he rarely got upset, but Vi was an expert at agitating him. Being under the influence of alcohol didn't help matters either. He was already feeling the effects from his drinks before they started this game.

"What have you been dreaming about lately?"

_I can be a dick too,_ Jayce thought.

The smirk on Vi's face quickly faded and her eyes narrowed in another glare. For a moment Jayce felt a chill down his back as she simply glared at him in silence. Then his own eyes opened in shock as Vi began to chug the contents in her glass.

Before he could tell her to stop she was finished. She slammed her empty glass on the table and exhaled loudly. Her smirk returned. "Well played, hammer head. My turn."

Jayce felt disappointed, he really was curious about Vi's nightmares, and her going through such lengths to avoid opening to him about them made him all the more curious.

They both continued on with the drinking game. Vi continued to favor embarrassing themed questions, while Jayce almost followed her example, but he was honestly more interested in getting to know more about her. It was strange to think this game allowed them to have another civil conversation, and Vi's life and experiences were certainly more entertaining than the women he normally associated with.

The whiskey had caught up to the both of them eventually, although Vi was clearly worse off.

When it became Jayce's turn again, there was one question that he had been wanting to ask Vi for a long time. It seemed appropriate to ask it now considering she was in an extremely honest mood. "Why do you hate me so much?" Vi frowned at his question. "I mean, what did I do to make you not like me?"

Vi thought a moment before she answered. "You're a…pompous little bitch that…thinks he can just clean up the streets just because he did one thing," she slurred.

"What do you mean?"

"That thing you did, ya know…some robot man stole somethin' from you. Instead of cryin' about it you went after…his ass and took whatever he stole back. You come back to town and suddenly you're praised as a hero."

Despite not needing to take a drink, she took another swig. "Do you have _any_ idea of the shit I went through growing up?" She looked like she tried to stand, but she failed and just leaned back on the couch. "I busted my ass to stop heists and steal from criminals. Was I given fame? No-o-o-o-o-o, instead I was hunted by the criminals I stole from and the cops. But _you_…you stop one fuckin' bad guy and you get your ass kissed."

At a loss of what to say, Jayce accepted her answer and sipped his whiskey. "I…didn't ask for the hero treatment, Vi." She scoffed. "But aren't we on the same side? We both fight the same enemy."

"Whatever," Vi mumbled. The drinks certainly hit her hard, and it looked like she desperately fought off sleep.

They continued with their game for a few more turns. Jayce was once again in awe with Vi. Despite being smaller than him, she easily drank twice as much as he and showed no signs of stopping. It was alarming to witness the way she drank the liquor as if it were water.

There were times where she would take a sip even though she wasn't required to. Her speech became even more slurred to the point where he had to think and translate mentally what her questions were. Her face was flushed and she was sweating. He also grew worried every time she got up to use the bathroom due to the way she swayed and bumped into everything.

However, he noticed the small amount of whiskey that was in Vi's glass. There was one other question he wanted to ask, but he was afraid she'd refuse to answer, and the last thing he wanted was for her to drink another large amount at this point. Caitlyn would kill him if Vi got alcohol poisoning.

"Why do you refuse to tell me what your nightmares are about?"

Vi glanced at her cup, but didn't drink it, thankfully. She rubbed her eyes before turning to face Jayce. She looked so exhausted Jayce felt tired just by looking at her. "'S my problem."

Jayce frowned. "Even so, I ask because I want to help."

She laughed. "How are…how could _you_ help?"

"Well, for one, just talking about it helps. It's better than keeping it bottled up and suffering alone."

"'S a sack of…shit."

"I'm serious, Vi. What have you got to lose by talking to me?"

She frowned. "'M fine."

"No, you're not." Jayce sighed softly. "But…okay fine, you don't want to tell me anything." He took a drink. "Just know that if you talk to me about this, it doesn't mean you're weak. I've learned a lot about you these past few days, and I'm not lying when I say I think you're amazing. You've done a lot of things, gone through a lot of things, alone. Not many people can say the same."

Vi looked at him with a blank face. Then a small smile grew on the corner of her lips. "You're a good guy, hammer head."

He nodded. "So...do you want to talk about it?"

She rolled her eyes. "You don't stop…do you? It's my turn to…to ask."

"Oh no," he reached for their glasses and collected them. Then he swiftly grabbed the nearly empty whiskey bottle. "Caitlyn will kill me if you get alcohol poisoning. It's time to sober up."

He heard her groan in disappointment as he headed to the kitchen. He quickly regretted standing so abruptly, his vision swam, but he held onto the wall to steady himself. Maybe he was more intoxicated than he thought. He prepared a fresh batch of coffee and a pitcher of water. To avoid a hangover, he and Vi would have to consume plenty of water.

When he returned to the room, his attention was quickly drawn the Vi's still form outside the window.

_What in the void is she standing in the rain for_, Jayce thought in alarm.

He quickly rushed outside and pulled her back inside. Her clothes and hair were completely drenched; the rain had gotten heavier since that morning.

"What's wrong with you?" He couldn't hide the anger in his tone.

"Wha?" She shrugged. "Need to…stay awake."

Jayce was both able to see and feel her body shake. "Throwing yourself outside in the cold won't help you any. A dangerous symptom of hypothermia is feeling sleepy." He led her to her room, which wasn't too easy considering how wobbly she walked.

"Fuck," she leaned against him as they walked. "I'm cold." Once they arrived in her room she threw herself on the bed.

"I'll get you a towel so you can change into dry clothes." Jayce sighed as he headed to the bathroom. He honestly didn't have much experience in terms of taking care of an intoxicated person. He wasn't one to get this far with drinking, and neither were the people he associated with.

Vi was laying back on the bed when Jayce returned with fresh towels in hand, her eyes closed.

"Vi?" Jayce asked. When she didn't respond he was unsure if he should wake her. Then he noticed how her body continued to shake, she needed to get out of her wet clothes at least. He was hesitant to undress her himself, he was tempted to just wait until Apollo returned, but he didn't know if his bot would arrive anytime soon.

_What's the big deal? It's not like I haven't seen a naked woman before,_ Jayce thought. Then he scolded himself mentally, he didn't have to fully undress Vi. He just had to get her out of her wet shirt and shorts. Her undergarments could stay. Still, what if she woke up while he was undressing her? His face paled as he thought over the outcome of that situation.

Her blue eyes opened slowly when he lifted her up into a sitting position. "Mmm," she mumbled. "Did I fall asleep?"

"Yes, you did." Good, she woke. Jayce wrapped the towel around her shoulders. "Now that you're awake, you can dry yourself and change."

"Fuck," she cursed. "I don't want to…sleep. Don't let me sleep."

He frowned. "Why?"

"Bad dreams, bad memories. They…always come when I sleep." She yawned and rubbed her eyes. "I don't want to sleep."

Unsure of what to do, or say, Jayce remained silent. He sat next to her so their eye level could be even. "How long have you stayed awake?"

Vi looked at him with half closed eyelids. Her eyes were bloodshot. "A few days, I think."

Her speech was still horribly slurred. It was a wonder she wasn't violently ill. But Jayce had a feeling that would come in time. Then he mentally made a note to bring a bucket later.

"What do you dream about?" Curiosity got the best of him so he couldn't help but ask.

She yawned again before she answered. "Bad things."

"What kind of bad things, Vi?" Even in her intoxicated state she still tried to hold her secret. Jayce felt bad for continuously trying to pry her for details, but he honestly felt her talking about it would help her, even if just a little. She was too used to dealing with problems on her own.

"I'm weak." She finally answered. "I dream of that room…how that fucker could do…whatever he wanted and I couldn't do shit. I was too weak to escape…too weak to…fight the pain." She wrapped her hands around her torso. "I'm cold."

Jayce's mind was a jumbled mess. Anger and pity ate at him. He _really_ hoped the man that tortured Vi was the one that Caitlyn shot and killed. If it wasn't, then he'd want to get his hands on him himself.

Vi looked on the verge of passing out. "Don't let me sleep," she told him again.

He frowned. "I don't know how I could stop you. You're still healing and it's been _days_, Vi, you should still try to slee—" Vi interrupted him by suddenly pushing her lips against his. For a quick moment, Jayce's mind was a blank and all he could think of was the softness of her lips. When the moment passed, he pulled away from her, his face showing just how confused he was.

"I know how…you can help me stay awake," she whispered.

Jayce could smell the whiskey in her breath. She leaned forward and kissed him again, but more aggressively than before. He was too stunned and confused to stop her, he just sat there. She pushed her chest against his own, her fingers twirled in his hair for a moment before they slowly traveled down his neck, his shoulders, then his back, and then they snuck under his shirt and expertly caressed his torso before they sunk into the waistband of his pants. His mouth opened in a gasp, both from the boldness of her fingers, and of his nerves going into a frenzy. It was then when she deepened the kiss that Jayce tasted the whiskey and logic finally beat its presence into his brain.

He pulled away from her and stood. One look at Vi's angry face and Jayce half regretted rejecting her advance.

"We shouldn't do this, Vi." His voice came out a little raspier than he liked, so he cleared his throat. "Not with you drunk and not for this reason."

Her eyes narrowed dangerously. "What kind of…man denies sex?"

Jayce shrugged. "Not like this, Vi. I'm not that kind of man."

She scoffed before she curled up; she pulled her legs to her chest and hugged them. "I'm cold."

That she was. Her fingers and face were incredibly cold. He placed the fallen towel back on her shoulders and fetched her bag. He remembered the coffee and water so he excused himself to leave her to change.

Annoyance crept into him when he returned to find her still curled on her bed with her wet clothes on. Her eyes were closed again and her lips were beginning to turn into a light blue shade.

Her eyes immediately opened when he stepped beside her though. "Honestly, why haven't you changed?"

"I'm tired."

"I thought you didn't want to sleep?"

"I don't." She rubbed her eyes again. "I'm so tired though. And cold."

_Are all drunken people this much of a handful_, Jayce thought to himself. "Drink this." He handed her the mug of coffee. As she sipped it he opened her bag and searched for some decent warm clothes for her. Once he found a simple long sleeved shirt and pants for Vi, she drained her mug and handed it back to him.

"Alright, out of those clothes." He kept his gaze off her as much as possible as he handed her the discarded towel again.

"You won't have sex with me, but you're eager to strip me out of my clothes." Thankfully, there was no venom in her voice. And she chuckled after her statement. "Or are the rumors true, and you just prefer men?"

Jayce looked at her then, his face showing both anger and confusion. "Rumors?! Who said that?"  
Vi laughed then. "I'm fuckin' with you, hammer head."

Once she was dressed into warmer and dry clothes, she still rubbed her arms. "I'm still cold."

Jayce pulled the covers from under her and draped them over her. "There. Just give it a few minutes, you'll warm up. Did you want more coffee?"

She hugged the covers to her tightly and shook her head. "Every time you leave I fall asleep. I don't want to sleep."

Sighing, Jayce sat on the bed again. "You have to sleep some time. It isn't healthy for you. Not when you're still recovering."

"I said help me…stay awake, not bore me to…to sleep."

"How do you know that's not my intention?"

"Fuck you." She mumbled, which earned a light chuckle from Jayce.

Despite their interaction, little by little her eyelids sunk lower until they finally closed. Jayce didn't lie earlier, despite her wanting to avoid nightmares, it wasn't good for her to stay awake for so long. He collected her wet clothes and towel and quietly stepped out of the room.

The rest of the day he couldn't help but think about the feeling of her lips. He knew better to think anything of it; she was drunk and desperate to stay awake. And he was grateful she didn't react violently to his rejection. He hoped she didn't remember her rejection when she sobered up. It would be very awkward to explain.

A strange feeling overcame Jayce. He couldn't help but feel somewhat disappointed if Vi couldn't remember what happened.

* * *

A/N: Finally! This chapter was quite rough to write, and I've been working on the last couple of pages for the past week alone. I don't know if it shows, but I really struggle with both Jayce and Vi's personality in the story. There's only so much their lores tell in regards to their personality, and thankfully Vi's in game quotes give a pretty good idea about her attitude and personality. But Jayce…he is a different story. So I really struggle with their interactions, their thoughts, behavior, everything.

But on the account of the number of favorites and subscribes (story alerts) I think it is safe to assume I'm not doing a bad job. I really try to make my stories as realistic and as close to character as possible. For those that review and tell me how I am doing with the characters it is botha HUGE relief and great motivation to keep going. I love you guys, and hope I don't disappoint. I'm hoping I don't take as long with the next chapter. I also apologize for the length of this chapter, it is twice as long as the previous chapters. There was a lot that I wanted to pack into this one chapter and couldn't find a decent place to cut it in half.


End file.
